Through The Dark
by ccmaja
Summary: This is a story about a pair of lovers both bound by fate and torn apart by hubris. Mortal Isabella turns vamp  and Vampire Edward. Give it a try :
1. Chapter 1

_**This is a story about two lovers, Edward Cullen and Isabella Swan. It begins as many stories do…with a destined meeting, this one between Edward, a fallen Vampire who lived only to kill and Isabella, a mere Mortal, wanting only to die. **_

* * *

-i-

"So this is hell" young Isabella thought to herself as she wound her way around a dirty street corner. The people flooding the dark corners were in the midst of kissing, groping and...other things she could not yet wrap her young mind around. How she ended up in this god forsaken place still eluded her, all she knew, was that she had awoken one morning with no idea where her mother had gone or even if she would come back. When the days had turned into weeks, and the manager of the building had come to collect rent, she had given up on waiting for anyone…especially her mother to return for her.

Being only the age of 12, her prospects of a job were beyond limited. She had no family, no friends; she truly didn't know where her life would end up now. _Not that my future was looking all that bright before._ She had been on her own now for well over two weeks, but only these last three days had she truly been homeless. Her belly was empty, her small body cold from the growing winter and above all she was alone. All her life she had been alone, whether her mother had been around or not, she was always alone. It was as if there was some constant turmoil inside her, she constantly felt as if she were behind in some task... as if she were in the wrong place or being remiss about being somewhere at that exact moment.

Her mother had confessed to her one day while she was high on drugs and drunk with whatever concoction she had been able to buy, that the "the strain" she was feeling was because she had been born high on drugs. Isabella had no doubt that was true...and the embarrassment she felt because of it, made her never bring up the subject again.

The strain she had felt drove her nearly mindless sometimes... during this last year, she was convinced that she was going mad. Little Isabella had made a decision at some point over the last few months, that death would be a welcome friend in her arms, that the end had better be coming to get her soon.

But here she was now, with no idea of what to do or where to go. She found herself walking the streets at night and stealing sleep in the light of the days. Right now she had managed to wander off into a side of town that looked to be housing the less than noble men of Chicago, not to mention the raunchiest of women. Just as she was about to turn and leave the way she came, a big palm wrapped itself around her forearm and yanked her into a dark corner. Before she could make the scream that had bubbled to her lips out, another big palm wrapped itself around her mouth.

Suddenly the need to scream began to ebb. She had no idea why she felt comfort...no idea why she had an overwhelming urge to accept whatever end would meet her now. _This is what you wanted, don't fight, just let it be quick._The hand that had been wrapped around her forearm turned her slowly to face forward. With all the courage she could muster in her 12 year old body, she faced the owner of the hands and was surprised to see vibrant red eyes staring into her own.

She was torn between relief and fear. For the first time in as long as she could remember, the strain she had been plagued with was no longer present. It was as if a cooling balm had been placed over her heart and for the first time she could truly breath. Though she felt at ease, her brain screamed at her body to register fear. She was in a dark alley, in a dark corner, facing a man with eyes like fire. Surely the fear would kick in at any second. Surely.

It never did.

* * *

As Edward had stalked his prey from the roof tops, he spied a small figure winding down the alley with uneasy movements. He didn't pay much attention to the being, for he was still following his meal for this evening.

Each night he set out to rid the world of the worst walking these streets. It wasn't technically a bad thing if he stuck to the criminals or would be criminals. He was doing the city a justice...helping the tax payers save money on things such as D. A's, jury selection, trials and such. Besides, no one would be _missing_ these people, they would think them lucky to not have them around anymore.

He stalked a roof closer to his unassuming male down below, he'd heard and seen enough from this man in the last ten minutes to know he had been responsible for many rapes in the city. It was an easy decision to kill the male after seeing his last victims horrified look in the mans memory just before he's ended her life.

As he tensed to kill, a face comparable only to an angel popped into his head. This face was that of a young girl...a _very young girl._ Edward realized then that this was the face his victim was currently assessing. Through the prey's vision he saw her walk cautiously and confused on the beaten path before her. She looked to be lost...scared...but worse..._alone._

A foreign feeling crept into the vampires body as he saw the prey's mind assessing this beautiful little creature. The man wanted to hurt her...to hurt her as he had hurt the others in his mind. A rage so hot burned through the vampires body as he abandoned his position on the roof top for a dark corner that the girl was near. As soon as he could get to her, he would take her from this place. He had no idea why this was so important to him, all he knew was that he could never let harm come to her, he could never leave her unprotected.

He watched from the dark corner as she halted in her tracks, as if this were a bad mistake for her to continue. Deciding this was a good moment to get her away from there, he shot a hand over her mouth and a palm covering her arm.

_Gentle!_ His mind screamed at him. He could easily break this girl with a mere flick of his nail. Humans were so fragile...so _mortal._ With all the self control he could find at that moment, he gently turned her in his arms so he could quietly inform her that he did not wish to harm her. However, when she turned to meet his eyes, a familiar feeling swept across him...

_I know her..._he thought to himself. Her eyes were gentle and the most loveliest shade of brown he had ever encountered. Her skin seemed to tingle his fingers, it was the first thing he had truly_ felt _in his long existence. As he tried to understand the feelings he had coursing through him, he realized that she too was looking at him with recognition. It was then that he noticed she hadn't attempted a struggle... she gave no fight to being in this dark corner with him, and though she should be shaking with fear, her body seemed to relax as if in comfort here with him.

* * *

For whatever reason, this male with flaming red eyes seemed to be looking at her with eyes not that of a man in lust or rage...but as a man with appreciation. Isabella had never seen _any _person look at her like that. The scene hit her anew as if she had just realized their situation, but as her eyes carefully assessed her surrounding, she realized that the fear she had been convinced would be coming soon, still hadn't arrived.

The male spoke to her then, but his hand remained in place over her mouth. "I have no desire to hurt you..." and she believed him. Why, she still couldn't work out yet, but she knew instinctively that she could trust him.

"If I release your mouth, will you promise me not to scream?" She could only nod her head as she stared into his eyes.

When he released her, he knelt down to her level so that they were at eyes level with each other. He seemed to be taking her in, not as a man takes in his new conquests figure, but the way one would admire a treasured jewel or memento that was irreplaceable.

As Isabella watched this male, she noticed how he held his heart now, the way his features began to soften with each passing second. It was as if he was transforming from a viscous man into what one would consider devastatingly handsome. With one last appraising look over her small form, he began his introduction.

"I vow to you that I will not let harm come to you...from me or from anyone. Can you trust that?"

Isabella had wanted to answer him, truly she did, but after hearing the silk of his voice, she no longer had the ability to form words.

"Do not fear me, little one..." He thought she was afraid? That was simply not the case. Seeming to pull her self out of the stupor she was in, she finally answered him.

"I...I do not fear you."

* * *

At her words, his brows drew together. "You sound...familiar" He took his time once more looking at her face. Surely he knew this girl...but wouldn't he remember her? Even if he walked away right now an never saw her again for a thousand years, he would be able to describe her perfectly...right down to the sweet lull of her voice.

_Of course you don't _know_ her...you know only a handful of people in your life...existence...whatever its called. _A thought began to arise in his mind, a recalling of a conversation he had once had with Carlisle not long after his change. "_You'll find your one mate... she'll center your thoughts and make you _relieved _to be an immortal. It could take a millennium...but you will find her."_

As Edward met eyes with her once more, realization hit him_...She is mine._

* * *

No haters please.


	2. Chapter 2

-ii-

She realized that after she had broken out of her trance and answered him, his demeanor once more changed. As he looked at her, she noticed how he clutched at his chest and breathed deep as if to calm an excited heart.

Though he still looked at her as a gift, she noticed how his appraisal had become more..._protective. _She hadn't yet finished taking all these new emotions in from him when he chimed in again.

"You must be a very long way from home... but why? You're so young." Though he was right about her being young, Isabella couldn't help but feel a spike of resentment at the accusation. She had managed on her own out here perfectly well enough. _Though I'm hungry and tired...and I have no place to sleep or keep warm. _Yet still she raised her chin and frowned at him.

"I am not _that young!_" He seemed to keep his lips from curling...just barely though. He opened his mouth to chide her, but then seemed to stop and look around at the scene surrounding them. His eyes grew horrified as if seeing the view anew. "Oh god" He reached out to cover her eyes as if to shield her from the debauchery surrounding them in this vile alley.

"Come now, this is no place for you to be." Isabella wanted to argue just for the sake of arguing, but a foreign noise sounded from another corner, sounding as if the coupling she'd witnessed had just gone to another level.

The red eyed man tensed at the same moment before pulling her into a hug and shielding her from what felt like a terrible gust of wind. Instinctively she closed her eyes from the breeze, and when she opened them, the scene before her had altered completely. No longer were she and this male in the alleys or near the portico's of boarded up shops. They now stood surrounded by water fountains and blooming flowers of the sweetest scents.

"H-How did we get here?" They were now in a park...a park that happened to be _very_ far from the area she had just been in not even three seconds away.

Though she was a bit confounded on how they had arrived here, she couldn't stop herself from edging closer to the blooms lit by the dim lamps lining the cement path where they stood. She gently touched the pad of her finger to a petal, then slowly bent down to smell the flower properly.

As she took in the scent, she realized that this was probably the most beautiful place she had ever seen...and sadly...more than likely the last.

He didn't know why watching her smell that flower had made his chest ache. It wasn't a feeling of longing that had swept over him, it was a feeling of sadness. When she turned to face him once more, he read the look she now wore, and understood that what he had felt as she scented that sweet flower, was the same as she.

Somehow...without knowing her or anything about her past, that she had probably never seen one blooming in the sun.

He needed answers, he needed to know how this young girl came to be and more importantly why she was wandering the streets at this hour.

"Tell me why you're out here alone, in the dark alley. Your family must be worried sick about you." She didn't answer him, instead she looked around once more and then slowly walked to a fountain in the center of the small garden. There she took a seat at the rim of the pool behind her.

"I don't suppose you would tell me how we got to be here...from the alley so quickly?" The vampire couldn't help but raise his eye brows in appreciation of her question. Though he wanted some answers, and he wanted to protect her, he felt an unbreakable pull to give this little girl anything she wanted. He decided easily that he would answer her questions first.

"I don't suppose you would believe me if I told you I could run fast..._very fast._" He watched her tilt her head slowly as if deciding to believe him or not. When she smiled at him, he knew she did believe him.

"I'm going to have to ask you to prove it." For the first time in over 86 years...Edward laughed. At some point he stopped shaking with laughter long enough to realize this for himself. His eyebrows drew together as he once more took in this small girl. Then with a nod of his head, he grinned at her and he was gone.

As he ran to the edge of the park and back, he snatched a rose from the garden to bring back for her. When he returned, he stopped right behind her form, trying to keep the chuckle that awaited its chance to escape his lips.

It had taken him less than two seconds to retrieve the flower and be here behind her, but she had barely stood with a gasp as she darted her head back and forth looking for any sign of him. Not wanting to frighten her anymore than she would likely be by his display of speed, he cleared his throat from behind her and as she turned, he offered her the rose.

Her beautiful brown eyes seemed to be on the verge of popping out of their sockets, but still she made no move to scream. Slowly, as if he were approaching a wild animal, he made his way to stand directly in front of her and offered her the rose.

"Don't be scared...I promise not to hurt you." he didn't know if he needed to keep reminding her of that, but then again, he'd never encountered a mortal that he'd wanted to assure before. This was all new to him. If he was being completely honest with himself, he still wasn't sure if this little girls truly was _her..._the one he'd been waiting his entire immortal existence for. All he knew for certain, was that she brought him ease.

He watched with a smile as she brought the flower to her nose and smelled it, then how she cradled the flower so gently...as if it were the most treasured item she owned.

Frowning at how much he didn't know about her, he set forth with a determination of finding out anything she would share with him.

"I believe it's my turn to ask a question." The girl didn't look up, she merely walked back to the fountain and took her seat once more. When she was settled in and her flower was resting carefully in her palm, he went to stand in front of her and once more knelt down to try and meet her eyes.

"What are you doing out here all by yourself? Wont your family be missing you?" He could have gone on and on, but his chest was hammering with a foreign feeling that he hadn't yet placed. As he pulled back to gain some space, he noticed her eyes began to water.

_She is sad...I've scared her!_ The vampire watched with confusion as the girl gained composure. He had some deep seeded instinct inside him that wanted to take her into his arms and hug her.

_She shouldn't hurt,_ He thought to himself. This young girl had come into his life this night, seemingly from the dark and had had awoken all these foreign emotions in him. He wanted to know why she had tears building and then assure her that he would take her troubles away.

Finally she looked up, but when she met his eyes, he could see the sad resignation she had in them. He feared now for what she would tell him...he wasn't sure he could actually stand knowing.

"I am alone now...I have no family."

The vampire stayed kneeling before the girl, unable to find words that expressed all he was feeling in that moment. Her family had left her? She was alone? It didn't make sense! This girl couldn't be more than 13 years old...surely her family wouldn't have thrown her into the streets!

Suddenly a murderous rage, such as he'd never realized he'd possessed soared through him. He didn't realize that he had begun shaking. Thoughts of finding any who had hurt her and annihilating them ran rampant through his mind. He wanted to seek out the animals that had left this little girl to the fates for protection. She was a treasure...something to be cared for and loved! How dare anyone throw her away!

He didn't realize he had begun spouting these things from his mouth until it was the girl who now knelt beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I-I'm okay...I promise you I have been safe." He struggled for control as they both sat on the concrete before each other, but then seeming to take all her words in at once, he raked his gaze over her again...this time seeing her anew.

She was wearing dirty clothes and her hair was knotted. Dirt seemed to cake her precious cheeks and neck. The boots she currently had on were worn to the sole and were tearing at the toe. As if to punctuate her image, her stomach growled loudly as if begging him to acknowledge her absolute hunger.

The little one wrapped her arm around her belly as her face began to flush with embarrassment. That alone was enough for him to take command of his emotions again.

"Come, little one. You can trust me." Extending his hand to her, she bit her lip and placed her small one to accept it.

* * *

Not one single thing about the last few days had seemed real to her. But now, a red eyed, incredibly fast male who could apparently pulverize concrete, seemed like the only real thing in the world.

She didn't think he even realized that in the midst of his tirade, he'd begun punching the pavement beneath him. At first she had sat astonished that this male could break the pavement, but as he continued to crack the foundation, she realized that this male was not only upset...he was upset because he felt she had been wronged. It was new to have anyone take an interest in her life, little alone care that she was alone.

Having no real experience with men...not even boys her own age, she did her best to calm this being and assure him that he should not be troubled. However when he looked up to meet her eyes, she saw that he no longer thought this situation was merely give and take. The second she saw him assessing her clothing and dirty skin, she knew...he will take care of me now.

It didn't surprise her when he gave her his hand to take, it didn't surprise her that she took it either...what did surprise her was the delicate manner in which he clasped them together. She had witnessed this male breaking cement with his bare fist, but now he was holding her small hand in the very hand as if she were as delicate as glass.

"Close your eyes" he said softly.

Knowing that for her own good she should obey him, she did. She felt the familiar gust of air just as before, and this time she felt as if she were blowing around in the wind like a feather. She felt the male steady her body with a hand on her waist, and when she was sure that standing was possible again, she felt his hand slip away.

"You can open them again." When she did, a new scene surrounded her and she drank it in. Isabella slowly turned in the room that was decorated with soft carpets and colorful paintings. The smell of jasmine seemed to make its way to her nose. For a girl like Isabella, who had never owned even a bed, this sight before her was one she knew she would never forget.

"Is this your home?" Even she could hear the wonder emanating from her tone, but she couldn't find it in her to be embarrassed about that.

When he didn't answer her, she turned to find him staring at her with a look of confusion. She self consciously looked over her shoulder to see if something behind her had his attention, but when she saw nothing but the flutter of a window curtain, she turned to face him once more.

"I can't hear you..." He sounded confused by this. Isabella looked to the red eyed man just as confused.

"I asked is this where you live." She didn't think she breathed as he moved in front of her. When gently lifted her chin with a puzzled expression, she still hadn't taken a breath.

"There are things I need to tell you...things that you may not understand." Isabella knew for a fact that whatever it was he would tell her tonight, she would indeed not understand...that didn't mean she didn't want to hear them anyway.

"O-okay."

The male walked her to a plush cream couch that sat against a far end wall that was decorated with a painting of something abstract. Isabella paused as she approached the couch, not wanting to dirty the beautiful piece with her filthy clothes.

The red eyed male simply frowned before saying, "Please...be at ease. I would like it very much if you would indulge me this and have a seat here." Still embarrassed over her clothes, she attempted to sit on the very edge of the couch, hoping to touch only the bare minimum that she needed to.

Edward noticed this and though it pained him to see her uncomfortable, he knew saying anything more about it would only embarrass her further. He planned to get things out in the open, if this little one was truly his one female, then he could not keep this secret from her. More importantly, he would need to make her understand what this would mean for her now too.

Though his body hadn't responded to her in a _physical way_, his heart had. He imagined that his body was still dormant of _those_ needs was because she was so young, not yet even a woman. When she reached the age of maturity, not only would she stir him to life, she would make him crazed with even simply a smile.

He opened his mouth to start, not knowing exactly what to start with, but before he could say anything, her stomach growled once more. He jumped to his feet with his inhuman speed, which seemed to frighten the girl, but he needed to provide nourishment for her, and he couldn't exactly apologize for wanting to do that.

"I apologize..." he realized then that he didn't even know her name.

"Bella...my name is Bella." Her cheeks were pink from flush and her nose was red from the cold, but looking at her, he realized that she truly was beauty incarnated.

"Bella" he breathed. Doing his best to keep calm, he shared with her his name.

"I am, Edward. It's so very good to meet you Bella." Once more he was given the gift of her beautiful smile and with that out of the way, they made their way into the kitchen.

* * *

It hadn't taken Isabella long to realize that Edward was definitely different. Though his speed and strength had been a dead give away, the empty kitchen left her imagination open as well. Granted, her old kitchen wasn't exactly stocked, but you could tell that there was at least people who _ate_ food there.

She had watched as Edward meandered around the cupboards as if in hopes food would appear. She wasn't sure that it _wouldn't, _but from the frustrated and nervous look on his face, she gathered that making food appear wasn't on his list of accolades. He seemed to fully give up after a minute then turned to her and made her promise not to leave. When he seemed certain she would remain, he disappeared with a gust of wind just like before.

Now they were seated at an elegant table that she was sure had never been used. He had arrived moments ago the same way as he'd left, except now he was carrying a bag of something that smelled delicious.

When he'd waved her to the table, he began unloading several different items, all of which seemed to make her belly rumble with pleasure. She was so hungry at this point that she didn't even care that her belly was screaming in please.

Edward seemed to mind though and after making her sit, he slid a container that held a burger and fries inside of it. Little Isabella wanted nothing more than to sink he teeth into it, but doing her best to have manners that were self instilled, she waited for him to sit and take a plate as well. He must have sensed her doing this, because he snapped his head up and quickly prompted her to eat.

As they sat together, Isabella savored her meal and delighted in the warmth. Edward would watch her with what seemed to be relief as she took each bit of her meal. When she was finally done with her burger, she smiled a satisfied smile and breathed deep.

She was about to thank him, but a wind had swept over her again and when she looked down, a lush piece of chocolate cake sat in front of her now. She spied a glance to her red eyed friend and he merely inclined his head to the cake as if asking her to eat. Instead of silence like she had before, he now seemed ready to talk.

"How did you come to be alone, Bella? What happened to your family?" It was an excellent question, one she didn't fully know how to answer. She had hoped to ease into this, but what difference did it make if he asked her now or twenty minutes from now?

"I don't know where my mother is." She continued to eat her cake, but now was doing so in small reveling bites. Edward didn't miss that. "It was only my mother and I, I don't know my father...or even his name for that fact."

Another small bite of her cake came, but before she swallowed the piece, the wind she had grown to know was back and with it, was the cake...the _whole_ cake. She looked up to see him with expectant red eyes, as if he knew she was sad and wanted to make her happy. It did.

She continued on, "My mom left a few weeks ago, she never came back to our little room." they had shared a room in a small building that used to be motels, they had done that for the last 5 years, before that, she didn't really remember.

Pausing from her story, she glanced up to see the red eyed man pacing from the table to the kitchen again and again, when he saw she was watching him, he waved her on as if to signal for her to keep talking.

"Mr. Davis came to collect rent...I-I didn't have any money." Embarrassment scalded her again, and her vision went blurry. She knew she was about to cry, but wanted so badly to keep from doing it here in front of this male. She didn't know why it was important for her to come across brave to him...but it did.

He was beside her in an instant, his large hand petting her knotted hair as if it were silk. He didn't seem to care in the least that she was filthy. It was as if it had never even occurred that she probably smelled and was caked with dirt. Though he might not mind...she now did.

She stood and went to the window, from the one beside the table, she could see the evening lights of the city as if in a painting. She used the twinkles to distract her as she told her story from there at the seal. "I've been wandering for days now. I sleep in the mornings because it seems safer...and at night I just kinda...walk around."

* * *

If the idea of this girl wandering out of her neighborhood on accident tonight had bothered him, then Edward had just stumbled into a special kind of hell.

She was his...he _knew_ it...he felt it. The thought of her being alone, scared and hungry made the once long feeling of sickness rise to the fore. Bella was his mate, and not only had she been abandoned, she had apparently been suffering from hunger...she's suffered from _hunger!_

Taking in her story one fact at a time, he forced himself to stay calm. Though she had been alone and scared, she was no longer. He would see to it that she was cared for and raised from this point properly. He didn't exactly know how that plan would work out or what it would entail, but he knew that it was up to him now... he was all she had.

When Isabella turned to him, he waved her to come stand near him, because he needed to tell her his secrets now.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through all that you have, Bella...truly I am. But understand that from now on you will stay with me. There are things you need to know about me to make this work between us...but I will keep no secrets from you."

"What are you, Edward? Why are your eyes red?" She didn't seem in the least bit scared, but he was. He worried that she would run away screaming now...though she hadn't done so yet. Not wanting to tell her warred with the instinct to be open with her as she had been with him. In the end...she won out.

"I am a vampire, Isabella...my eyes are red because I drink from people." He spoke the words as if he would speak of why he bought a telephone. His tone was calm, but Isabella could see the worry and fear in his expression as he had said it, as if he feared this would send her over the edge.

"W-Why are you being kind to me? Is it because you wish to kill me at a later point?" Just as he had done with her, she said the words calm and collectedly. As if the idea of dying was just something that was bound to happen for her. He wasn't sure if he should be relieved or even more deeply concerned about her mental state.

He rose to pace once more, wiping his hand over his face as if gaining his next sentence. "I don't know how to say this, Bella, so I'll just come out and say it." he looked into her eyes as he confessed. "Every Vampire had a mate...their one and only partner...you...you are mine."

Her mouth fell open and he could hear her heart beat speed up... the first time since the garden since it had done that. _Interesting._

"You mean that...were..you...you want to have...se..."

"No! No, Bella...not now." He looked as if he were going to choke from trying to find the right words to say.

Her breathing calmed and when she was thinking rationally again, she continued on with her questioning. "How do you know that I am yours? I-I don't think that could be right..."

He turned to her then and the fear and confusion he had been feeling melted away. Explaining this to her was the easy part in all of this.

"I saw your face and you seemed familiar to me." he seemed to be drinking her in even now. "I heard your voice and...and it soothed me."

Isabella sat stunned, silenced...for the first time tonight, it was a rarity.

"When you are grown, Isabella...you will become my wife."

Of all the things she'd heard tonight, this one seemed to be the craziest. Though his words made sense to her, explained why she too felt as if the strain had left her...was it truly because of this male standing before her?

She studied him for a moment longer as he did the same to her. When she found the will to pull her gaze from his eyes, she asked what she truly needed to know. "Will I stay here with you then? From now on?"

* * *

He seemed to be dazed by this question, even more so because he had been thinking the same things. He wanted nothing more than to keep her with him, to be the one ensuring her upbringing and keeping her safe. Yet as he looked at her in this young girls essence, he knew that he could not.

She needed to be raised, her upbringing would need to be completed and when maturity hit her, the change would need to be explained. He was a vampire that hunted for blood...and she was a mortal who could seed it. The fear for her sent chills through his body at the idea of ever being the one that hurt her.

"I...I could not keep you here, Isabella." Her face seemed to fall at that, and it tore at him far greater than anything he could remember these last 86 years. "I will send you to a wonderful school...a...a boarding school! You could finish your education, you would be warm, safe... you could grow into maturity and then return to me."

She wanted to cry. Tears filled her eyes at the reality that he would send her away...alone...she was always alone. She was even further saddened to find that she _wanted_ to stay with this vampire. She truly didn't want to part from him...ever. She didn't want to feel the strain anymore...the emptiness. This male was apparently what she had been searching for without even knowing it...and now he was sending her away. She decided then that she wouldn't go. She would escape him and return to the streets first.

Wanting to rally back for a place at his side she bravely added, "Males at school will try to claim me...they will want me to, don't you think?"

A look so menacing washed over his once soft face as his jaw ticked. "You are meant for _me alone_. No one else. Do you understand my meaning?"

Attempting a look of obviousness, she feigned, "I am not ignorant to such things, Vampire." He didn't seem convinced in the least, and more over...he shouldn't be. She was _completely_ oblivious to such things. She had no idea what made the man in the alley tonight, grunt, and if she were being honest, she didn't want to know!

Seeming to find ease now, he breathed deep and smiled again. "Tomorrow I will take you to find a place worthy of having you...and then I will begin my wait..." She tilted her head again as if to ask a question, but he beckoned her to follow him. She did.

He led her to a bedroom covered in pale blues and grays. The large bed in the corner looked warm and inviting...the first bed she would actually sleep in. She looked to him with a bright smile and after seeming to catch his breath, he chuckled and rummaged through a linen closet. "This is your room, Bella..."

She was still admiring all the fine things that adorned its walls and shelves, but then she heard him turn on the shower. Embarrassment spiked through her once more as she caught her reflection in the mirror beside her.

_Why would he want me? I'm disgusting._

As if he sensed her thoughts, he was beside her once more. He chucked her chin gently and with sincere, blazing red eyes he told her, "I could not have asked for one more beautiful than you for a bride. You leave me in awe little Bella."

She was about to thank him, but then he added, "Now get comfortable and rest...we've got to find a suitable school for you, my little Bella. I cannot begin to tell you how anxious I will be until you return to me grown."

She smiled as if in agreement, but to herself she knew the truth. _You will never see me growing, vampire...but from time to time I will think of the caring man who was kind to me and fed me._


	3. Chapter 3

-iii-

Though she had somehow managed to escape from the Vampire that day, her thoughts were always with him. As she had begun wandering the streets again, she'd found a small bit of piece in the fact that at least she'd had food in her belly and was now clean.

When she'd returned to her room from the shower that night, she'd found that her vampire had set an array of different clothes out for her, all varying in sizes and styles. She had no idea where he would have gotten them at this hour, but thinking back over the night they'd already shared, she waged that he must have stolen them from a person or store while she had showered.

That night as she'd lain in the lush bed at Edwards home; she tried to come up with a game plan. She had no money, no home, and no family. She knew how to read, but as far as skills went, that was as far as her list of accolades could reach. She doubted there would be many places looking to hire readers, let alone a homeless teenager not even of the working age. She'd almost abandoned the plan of leaving all together, but then she heard him walking through the hall and talking on the phone.

Even separated by walls and a door, she heard a musical lull instead of a voice. It was as if he were speaking so fast that all her little ears could only make out the noises of the words as they left his lips.

She had sat up in bed that night and heard only one thing for certain. "I cannot keep her here, it's just too dangerous." there was a pause as if someone was giving a retort and then, without knowing it himself, he sealed her choice with his next words, "I don't know. She may have to, but going with you guys has to be safer than staying with me."

Isabella had no idea what or who he was speaking with that night, but she decided easily that Edward was the only Vampire she wanted to know. Her long dead sense of fear seemed to arise as she contemplated being sent away to other red eyed beings to raise her. She didn't believe her Vampire would willingly let her be harmed, but at the same time, she didn't know much about him at all. Yes he had been kind, but the fact still remained that he was sending her away, he was looking to take her freedom and keep her stowed away like some war prize.

No.

At some point in the early morning, she heard his footsteps coming to her room. She had no doubt that he was checking to see if she still slept. She faked her slumber, keeping her breath even, her eyes closed. She could feel his presence in the room though she no longer heard him, and before she could decide on opening her eyes again a gentle kiss at her forehead made her want to sigh and melt with warmth.

No, this vampire was not mean or cruel. He had no ill will toward her and wanted only for her to be safe. Even though she knew that to be true, when she heard the front door open and close, she knew instinctively that this was her only chance to go.

**Nine Years Later**

"Where are you going, Bella?" I should probably lie. Yet instead of doing that, she found the truth spilling from her lips.

"I'm going to go and see...my...my man." She sneaked a glance at the red haired girl standing at the door with her jaw slacked. It was truly no doubt that the girl didn't believe her, Bella had always been quiet around the boys, never felt the need to flirt or laugh all day like an idiot.

Though she wasn't ugly by any means, she just had no interest in anyone. At times she would think back to her red eyed vampire and remember how his eyes had burned like fire as he informed her that she was his..._only his._

To this day when she thought about his eyes, she was reminded of fire. They would always remind her of that burning need he seemed to have when he looked at her. Like his absolute desire was to please her in any manner she wanted.

In all her years, Bella had been looked at by many men. She had been looked at with lust, reverence, and even, on occasion, respect. But Edward looked at her like no man since had, with _appreciation. _He'd appreciated her exactly as she was, and at that time as she was consisted of dirt and poverty.

"What _man?_ You never said anything about a man!" The girl made her way to the mirror alongside Isabella and picked up a comb to help her prepare for this mystery date she seemed so giddy for.

"It's a long story, but...well I guess the only way to describe it is that...I'm his. Only his." Bella stopped combing as she got lost in a memory. Her friend had no idea what it was that she was remembering, but judging from the look of peace washing over her features, she knew that whatever it was she had remembered, was something she truly could not live without.

"Won't you tell me who it is? Is he from around here? Does he go to UC?" As Bella snapped out of her dream like state, she spared a small smile to her friend and just shook her head.

"I can't... it's...well it's complicated."

"So he's married." the red haired girl simply winked and went back to her combing and then placing pins to hold the curls in place. She didn't ask anymore nor did she push for Bella to continue. She was probably the only person in the world, _beside Edward,_ that Isabella truly cared for.

"There. Your hair looks beautiful! Now what are you going to wear?" Bella looked to Bridgette and smiled in thanks. She of all people knew that her friend wasn't the easiest for others to be around and that even though she was showing tremendous restraint by not pushing Bella for more information, she was actually dying to know what all was in store for her tonight.

"Well...I was thinking..."

"…Of the leather pants that encase your butt like a second skin? Excellent choice!" Bridgette didn't wait for Bella's approval; she simply went to the closet and retrieved them as well as a top for her to pair it with. Bella didn't want to object...the pants _did _look good on her, and she had no doubt that her vampire would appreciate them more than any who had seen her in them before.

When she was fully dressed and ready to set out in the night, she looked back to Bridgette and the small room that had been her home for the last two years. She had no idea what tonight held in store for her, and she didn't know that if things went well, that Edward would let her return here. Looking at her friend and the smile she had in place for Bella made her want to embrace her and tell her to be good.

The idea of never seeing her again made her heart drop and without another thought she went to her, pulled her into a warm embrace and held her close. "Thank you...for everything! I want you to be good! Finish your degree and have a beautiful life...promise me you won't ever quit!"

"Bella, you're acting as if we'll never see each other again…" Bella didn't deny that statement, because after all they had been through together, she didn't want to lie to her.

"I don't know if I will…" Bridgette pulled back for a second, seeming to evaluate her friend and the emotions running through her; Though she wanted her friend around her more than anything right now, the look on Bella's face told her that if it was between her and this man…this man would win.

Bridgette held her back with fierceness and nodded her agreement. Though she didn't understand what was going on and wanted answers, she made that promise to Bella. "I'll be good...I promise." Bella pulled back and gave her a watery smile before she turned to leave.

"I don't know what's going on, Bella...but whatever it is that you're going after tonight... whatever it is that has kept you up at nights staring out our window...I hope you find it and it gives you everything you deserve."

Without another word, Bella turned and stole into the night, into the darkness...just as she had done nine years before.

(***)

As she made her way through the busy street, only one thing was on her mind. Edward. In the last nine years away from him, she had thought about him endlessly. Again she'd felt the strain come back to her, but this time it had intensified, because she now knew what it was she was missing, and against her hearts demand, she had willingly parted from him.

In the days that had followed after her escape from her Vampires home, she had regretted her decision fully. She'd even tried going back to him, but the way to his home seemed to elude her completely. She had thought about going back to the dark alleyway in hopes of him finding her there, but in the end, she decided that for whatever reason, this choice she'd made couldn't be undone. She would see it through…no matter where it lead her.

Though she was still homeless at the time, luck had managed to find her. If helped that she now had a bag of fresh clothes and shoes; courtesy of her Vampire. It made approaching a stranger for some spare change easier and after concocting a story of losing her wallet on the bus, she found that some strangers were far kinder than others.

With a way to feed herself, she'd felt empowered. Though she wasn't exactly proud of the way she had to come about money, she easily decided that it was better than what others on the streets were willing to do. With what she could get from the strangers kindness, she'd saved enough for a bus ticket and made it out of the city and into a quiet little suburb tucked away with plenty of rural surrounding her. She doubted the Vampire would think her able to make it this far, and so Schamburg became home. Not long into her stint there, she'd answered a "need help" sign at a small book store in the local area. With another concocted story about helping her family get through a financial rough patch, Isabella had managed to get herself a job as a book stocker, and the little bit of money she saved every paycheck helped considerably with her problem of being poor.

At night she'd slept in the school gymnasium. With nothing but time on her hands, she'd walked around the school in hopes of finding an open room or bathroom to sleep in. With her search, she'd found that there was a window that hadn't locked well and with a little manipulation, she was able to make her way inside the warmth and out of the cold. It helped that the lost and found was stored in the closets in the locker room, and as luck would have it, locker number 7 was always unlocked and provided shampoos and soaps for her nightly shower. Yes, Isabella had managed to make it on her own…as well as one could in her situation, but during it all, whenever she closed her eyes or walked a quiet path, her Vampire was all she saw.

Two years ago she had met Bridgette… at the age of 19; Isabella had finally made a friend. The two had laughed and joked in the book store as Isabella helped her find books for her first year at College. When Bridgette had hinted that she needed a roommate and offered the room to Bella for a great price, the two became inseparable. The rent was cheap, and the company was obviously appreciated. It didn't seem to bother Bridgette that Bella had no family, she didn't flinch at the mention of her buying clothes second hand or at eclectic little thrift stores. For the first time since meeting Edward, Isabella had found someone who liked her just as she was.

It was with Bridgette that Bella learned all about sex. Though she had matured and become a woman, it had still scared the shit out of her. When she had gotten her period, she'd thought that she had cancer. Not having a mother to explain things to her, or even a person to confide in, she'd had to figure it out on her own. It proved lucky for her to work in a book store that day, because after searching on female development, the answer had literally came to her in the form of a chapter.

Though she'd been asked out plenty of times, she'd never accepted. Anytime she was asked, her mind whispered that she belonged to someone already and even though she hadn't seen him since that night, she remained true to him.

All Isabella knew was that she ached…she ached for her vampire in ways she hadn't imagined she would. It was as if one day her mind stopped picturing him as a nice man and started focusing on all the aspects that made him mouthwatering. Even now as she walked, she envisioned the way his muscles would flex as she ran her hands along them. The way his mouth would feel on her own if he kissed her there now. And mostly…mostly she needed to know how he would feel _inside _her. That thought had her pace quickening as she exited the cab and made her way toward the desolate neighborhood.

She didn't know for certain that she would see him tonight, but she'd hoped that maybe he would find her. She knew the area in which he had lived nine years ago, but on the fateful night, he had been far from there when he'd found her. She had wondered what he was doing there at times, but it didn't take her long to decide that she probably didn't want to know.

She'd always used that limited knowledge of him to help her evade him when she'd still been in the city. Though he was an immortal male with nothing but time, she had managed to keep herself hidden this long. Tonight when she had gotten off the subway and hopped in a cab, she had instructed the driver to take her out further into the city. Already she was hours away from where she called home and into the familiar Chicago landscape she often associated with her red eyed man.

When the driver pulled over to a desolate avenue, she pulled her small money clutch and emptied the little sack into his hands. It was all the money she had left for the month, and if her vampire didn't find her tonight, she had no idea of how she would get home.

With a nervous bite to her lip, she stepped from the cab and began the task of simply…wandering. _Do I go to an alley? Should I call his name? _She realized then, that she should have put more thought into this little plan of hers. She hadn't really put much thought into the fact that she very well may not find him…that the odds of finding one person in all of this city was slim to none. Having no other options, she continued forward one step at a time.

As the minutes grew into an hour, she started to accept the fact that this truly was her worst idea. She wanted to weep at that thought; because the truth of the matter was that…leaving her Vampire that morning had been the true worst idea. Her eyes began to water at the memory of his sweet kiss to her forehead that day. She always thought back to that moment whenever she was sad. It reminded her that no matter what was happening in her life or how insignificant she felt at times, there was someone out there who really wanted the best for her.

It would have been easy to walk around all evening remembering each detail of Edward, but well into her beaten path, she received cat calls and unwelcomed longing glances from the men on the street. Although she had wanted to look good for her Vampire, Bella was now regretting her ensemble. Yes, she looked good, but she didn't necessarily want the creepy old weirdo's on the street acknowledging that. She'd worn these clothes for her red eyed man, to display all her new curves and womanly softness solely for him. She figured that maybe seeing what she'd grown into would distract him from the anger or hate he had for her now…because she had left him.

Just as Bella decided to ask a stranger for some change so she could call Bridgette and beg to borrow some cab fare, a familiar gust of wind washed over her and for the second time in her life…she felt like she could breathe.

(***)

Life for Edward had become something akin to simply existing. When he had returned to his home that morning nine years ago, he felt optimistic for the first time in eighty six years. He had no idea what the future held for him and the little one, and though some would feel frustrated at their age difference, he was simply happy to have found her at all.

He hadn't decided yet if he could truly let her go. Just the _thought_ of being away from his protection and home seemed like the worst thing he could imagine. He'd spoken with his brother that night, had finally broken down and called his family that he hadn't spoken to in over eight years. They didn't support his breaking from their strict diet and couldn't condone the taking of human life…no matter how vile the species it came from.

Though his pride was wounded from being the one to reach out, he couldn't quite feel regret. The idea of doing anything for his little bride delighted him to no end, easily cancelling out any other emotion that would compete against her.

To say they were surprised to hear from him was an understatement. Though no one went out of their way to ask _why_ he was calling, he could hear the excitement and hope in their voices at the idea of him coming home. When he'd confessed to his father that he'd found his bride, elation and relief seemed to emanate from the phone as he held it. Even when Edward explained the situation and the obstacles in which they needed to overcome, no one bothered to huff.

They had wanted him to bring her to them…to let his mother and father raise that little girl into the woman she would become for him. Even as he knew they would never harm her…would never dream to take her blood, the idea of her going to them still left him uneasy. He hadn't completely crossed it off his list, but it wasn't at the top of the pyramid either. In the end though, it hadn't mattered either way.

When he'd found her bed empty and the house bare of her things, he went mad. He'd raced from his home in search of her, not caring that his body was throwing gusts of wind on strangers in a seemingly easy day. He'd tried to scent her, but she no longer smelled the same. He couldn't pin point her anymore, because she had showered and wore clothes scented in others bodies. He'd gone back in frenzy, at the house sniffing at her bed, her towel and anything she may have touched. It hadn't helped though…because she was gone.

In the hours, days and weeks that followed, he searched for her relentlessly. He hadn't known that his body could become sick, but it had. Each minute she was away from him and his protection, he felt the need to wretch. If a chill crept through the air, he had grown strained at the idea of her little frame shivering for warmth. He had walked the streets and scented the food being cooked and would wonder, _Is she hungry? _His worry for her safety kept him constantly on edge. When he hunted, he searched through the minds of his victims, each time praying not to see a glimpse of his little angel. He hadn't known that the need to protect…was stronger than his need to kill.

For the last nine years he searched for her. Every day and every night he set out to find her, each day renewed with the idea that she would be awaiting him…would welcome him with open arms and let him embrace her. Often times when he'd searched for her, he found himself imagining the woman she had grown into. He knew she was a woman now, had realized that only a year ago. Before that, he had searched endlessly for the little girl she had been, only now did he realize he would be affected now simply from the way she walked. He would be able to hold her now and kiss her…tell her how much she pleased him as he explored her womanly curves. There was only one boundary between them now, and that was the fact that she was no longer here.

As he set off in a new direction, about to run to the other side of this city, he came upon a sight that nearly felled him to his knees. A woman with a lush little body made her way down a beaten path and seemed to be looking for someone. For a moment all he could focus on was the swing of her hips and the way her tight little bottom was hugged by the leather surrounding it. He heard a groan as if in pain then promptly realized that it had come from himself…

A feeling so foreign to him began making its way through his body. Everything felt heightened, the scents, the breeze, the way the ground seemed to be rocking. He had no idea what was happening to him and in all honesty he didn't care, because all his mind could focus on was that ethereal creature making her way through the dirty street.

Without his permission, his feet moved toward her. As he neared her, a sound reverberated through his ears and a feeling akin to a mine exploding beneath his feet began to quake his frame. Though it was enough to scare the hell out of him, it wasn't enough to stop him from still moving toward her. At his next step realization hit him…that sound he was hearing…was...his heart.

_It's her! God Let it be her… _Quicker than he had ever run in his existence, he made his way to her. As he stopped before her, he noticed the way her skin had prickled into chills. It was as if she sensed his presence here as well. When he was finally steady on his feet and the woman stood before him, he let himself examine this exquisite creature, let himself assess if this was his little bride or not.

Before he was able to make that decision though, the girl threw herself in his arms and began weeping. "Please…please don't leave me…don't be mad at me…I-I need you…I need you so much.

(***)

She hadn't imagined that this would be their reunion. She'd imagined it a thousand different ways and had even imagined their first time coupling after and how he wouldn't be able to stay angry with her. Isabella had imagined all of that, but she hadn't imagined this.

Their reunion consisted of her weeping in his arms and begging him not to leave her. She hadn't thought herself a weak girl until now, but if faced with begging him to keep her or losing him again, she was ready to leave all her pride at his feet.

Her Vampire pulled back, seemingly stunned at the display of affection she had shown toward him. As he appraised her body, she continued to clutch her little fingers into his muscular forearm as if she were holding on for her life.

He continued to stare at her, each second eating at her and any hopes that he would still want her. She couldn't decide if his silence was geared by disbelief or rage, all she understood in that moment was that she hadn't truly lived until she was in his arm as she was at that very second.

Seeming to stare at her in a dreamlike state, he lifted his hand to stroke her soft locks and gently tangle his fingers there.

"I'm still in revelry…you're not real…" though she wanted to weep with joy that he had found her, she couldn't find the energy. Her body had suddenly felt tired…as if she had just reached the end of a long journey and wished only to sleep.

Isabella may have not realized the strain her body was under, but at this moment her body seemed to recognize that it had found what it had been longing for. She had an overwhelming urge to close her eyes and rest in his arms. Before she could do it though, she reminded herself that she needed to convince him that she was indeed real.

"It's me Vampire…this is not dream." At her words, his arms snatched her tightly into his grip; one arm snaked around her as the other gently tugged her hair.

"God, I hope your real…" he bent down to nuzzle her soft neck as he took in her scent. These last nine years he had cursed himself for not doing it properly before…if he had, he would have found her long ago.

"I'm real…it's me…" as he pulled her even tighter into his vice like grip, she became aware that this was the closest she had ever been to a man. The idea both thrilled and frightened her. She wanted so badly to be all that he had dreamed of, to be all that he could ever want. But as she felt his growing erection against her belly, she knew it was unlikely that she could fulfill all his needs.

As if he could read her mind, he pulled back and gently held her chin as he assessed her. "So fair" he murmured. He dropped his gaze to her hips and let his eyes have their fill of her. There didn't seem to be any rush for him as he lingered on every tantalizing part she had to offer him. "Dreamed of you like this…every night…every minute…" Cuddling closer to him, she leaned up to whisper in his ear.

"I-I missed you, Vampire…"

He wrapped his brawny arm around her back and dragged her up his body to meet his lips. "You've returned to me…"

Even though she wanted only to kiss him and make him love her, she found herself nodding in agreement. "I'm here…I'm still yours …"

"No longer must I worry for you; out in the world alone…" he brought his lips to her ear and placed a soft kiss there. "You were just a little girl…without my protection." He nuzzled her, inhaling with a groan. "But you're a woman now." His erection pressed against her belly as he growled, "_My woman."_

A thrill swept through her as she felt his lips wisp at her neck and as without realizing it, a whimper left her lips. At the sound of it, her vampire's body seemed to thrum.

Isabella was perfectly happy to stay in that spot and soak in the emotions running through her, but as if with a realization, Edward pulled back from her sharply and his face seemed to turn murderous.

"Have you been with another?" His eyes blazed with a fire, as if simply voicing the idea pained him and made him crazed to harm any who had touched her.

Isabella stood shocked by the question; she couldn't yet find her voice because of the menacing way he gazed at her.

Edward mistakenly took her silence as an admission of guilt; his strong arms wrapped her tighter to him, as he yelled with a murderous rage. "You have haven't you!" Her small body began to quiver with fear at his tone as she flinched.

"How could you! You were meant for me alone!" The fierceness in his eyes reminded her that this was no mere man she was dealing with. Her red eyed male was a fierce immortal whose face at this moment promised brutality to any who may cross him. It was enough to make her realize that all these years alone may have been difficult, but apparently he'd felt them just as badly.

Before Isabella could assure her vampire that she was still innocent and that she had indeed remained true to him, he traced her from their spot in the alley with a swift wind that left them in his familiar home. Isabella didn't get a chance to feel warm or cozy this time, because in a flash her vampire was pounding his fist along the brick wall that served as a foundation for the fireplace along the far right wall.

"I was true to you, little one! I was true!" Again and again his mighty fist pummeled the wall, each time splintering the brick more severely than the last. She knew that he wasn't hurting himself, but the idea that he was this upset for absolutely no reason made her chest ache for him. She realized there was far more at work here than just her being his fated mate, because Isabella was at peace in this vampires home even as he displayed this brutal and violent side that under any other circumstance, she would have been fearing for her life.

As it was though, she found herself easing toward him without a worry for her safety, seeking only to comfort and assure him. When she was directly behind him, he turned with inhuman speed and pulled her into him with a look both fierce and desperate.

Not caring one bit about what he looked like right now, she reached up and laid her palm gently to cradle his cheek. And just as quickly as his ire had come, it now disappeared. She watched with soft eyes as he closed his own and leaned into her touch. It was as if all he needed at that moment was to feel her…to know she was truly there with him.

No louder than a whisper, she told him what he needed to hear. "I have not been touched, vampire. I am still yours…I have never known another. Just as you had said I never would all those years ago."

Edward sagged with relief and pulled her into him more softly as he smelled her thick hair. He shuddered at the first real embrace from her and let her words sink in. "I've had nine years of perfect misery, little Isabella. Just now…thinking that any had touched you…it nearly destroyed me altogether." Ever so gently, Edward leaned down and placed a tender kiss at her forehead just as he'd done when she was only a little girl. "I would have slaughtered any who had touched you."

Blinking up at her vampire, Isabella only nodded her understanding, as if he merely told her the sky was blue. She knew instinctively that he meant exactly what he'd just said. She had no doubt that if there ever came a time where another even _dared_ an attempt at her hand, her vampire would end them.

(***)

Over the last nine years he'd had many delusions; it was part of the price you paid for drinking one's blood. It didn't seem to help that those he drank of were possibly the worst that walked the earth. He'd thought of going back to his family's diet, but then the image of his little brides face would pop into his head as he saw her through the eyes of the predator in the alley nine years before. Any thoughts he'd had of quitting his "straight from the tap" diet went out the door as he was determined to rid these streets of any and all like that man…because his little Isabella was wondering the streets among them at that exact moment. If he couldn't keep her safe in his home, then by god, he would keep her free of one less vile creature each night.

But right now, she was in his arms. She'd returned to him…or he'd found her. At this moment it didn't matter to him which was the truth. All that mattered was that he had her now and that he'd never let her go. With that thought in mind, he placed one last lingering kiss to her forehead and went to lift her to sit her down, but then his hands met curves, soft, generous curves and his body began to stir. Only then did he realize what she'd grown into.

As his hands trailed gently over the side of her hip, then up the curve of her torso, her body began to prickle with goose bumps. He couldn't stifle the groan that fell from his lips at that and when his little bride seemed to curl into his touch, he grew more frenzied to explore her eagerly.

Dazed and in a whisper she asked, "What are you thinking?"

He watched her face to flush with pleasure and her lids slid shut at what he was doing to her. Never taking his eyes from her face, he answered, "I'm thinking that I don't want to scare you away again…" Her lip curled in to be bitten by her little teeth and Edward continued his exploration of her body, this time dropping his hands to cradle her soft cheeks in his hands. At the first squeeze of her there, his erection grew unbearably painful. "…and partly I'm afraid I'll come right here in my pants if you keep letting me touch you."

Though he expected her to react at some point with a startle, he continued to caress her behind and then snaked one hand around to gently cup her sex. Her head fell back and her lips parted as she gasped in a delighted surprise. As he witnessed her reaction he realized that he'd never experienced ecstasy until this very moment.

Pressing the heel of his palm harder against her little sex, earned him a moan and his name in a cry from her lips. Never removing his hand, he bent to her ear and lightly kissed her there. His little bride was clawing at him, her little nails digging into him and her moans begging him to take her over the edge. He was helpless to deny her this…to deny himself this. He'd waited his entire existence to bring her this pleasure and she alone was the only woman he'd ever want to give it to.

As he caressed her through her soft leather, he wondered how he had survived this long with her out of his care. He knew that if she left him now that he wouldn't survive it. Even now as she willingly let him touch and explore her, he grew frenzied to know why she had done what she'd done nine years earlier. He needed to know what he'd done to make her leave as she had.

Though she was about to fall over the edge, he forced himself to pull his hand away. Her breaths were shallow and she seemed to have no balance as she blinked open her eyes with confusion. Edward wanted so badly to finish what he'd started, but as he looked at her pinkened cheeks and glossy eyes, he grew even more determined to understand how she had come to be here this night.

"W-why did you stop?" He felt his shaft throbbing at the need in her tone, as if his stopping had left her aching as much as him. Denying her that pleasure went against his every instinct to claim her, already feeling the absolute need to please her and give her anything she wanted, his hand snaked down her belly and met her warm core once more.

"Keep your eyes open…" ever so gently his fingers began stroking again over the leather. He gently wrapped his left hand in her hair and cradled her head as his deep red eyes blazed into her own. He would still get his answers, but now he would show her why she should never leave him again.

Isabella stared into his eyes, seeming eager to please him as he was her. Edward sensuously rubbed her sheath and as her breaths quickened again, he began his line of questioning. "Why did you leave me?" Her eyes fluttered shut and he quickly pulled his hand away. With a whimper she opened her eyes and answered quickly.

"I…I didn't want to go away to the others…" he was confused by her answer, but because she had answered, he rewarded her with his fingers once more.

"What others? What are you talking about?" He watched in awe as she licked her lips and her body thrummed as if a pulse. He was amazed at how easily he could make her body respond for him, never before had he imagined a woman being so abandoned, but as he pressed harder to her core, he noted how she _needed_ to come.

Edward heard her groan as he sped his movements up, she seemed to force herself to answer, as if scared that he would take away his hand once more. "I heard…" her lips parted and her breath sped up as he rubbed faster once more, "…you talking to someone…on…the…phone!"

Realization washed over him just her climax washed over her. Feeling shocked and confounded, he forced himself to focus on this beautiful gift as she began shaking with her orgasm. Wanting to feel her little quim with his bare hands, he tore at the leather with inhuman speed and covered her soft flesh with his palm. Isabella jerked at the contact, her moans turning to a cry at the first touch.

His vampire instincts screamed at him to claim her. He needed his scent all over her, in her. He needed her blood on his tongue. The idea of taking her fully at this moment both excited and frightened him, she was a fragile mortal, her soft giving body would seed blood so quickly that he wouldn't be able to stop from killing her. Though his fangs ached for her pale flesh, he forced his jaw shut and entered her soft core with his finger as he knew she needed him to.

(***)

Isabella wasn't sure exactly what was happening to her. Her body seemed to burn out of control, the need to both scream and stop breathing washed over her as she felt her vampires' firm hands cupping and teasing her flesh. She was aware now that the leather that had encased her was gone now, but she didn't care about anything in the world at this moment other than her immortals strong fingers that seemed to rub and spread her aching flesh.

Over the last few years, she had been yearning for this; though she didn't know _what_ she had been longing for at the time, she understood now that this was what it had been. She wanted to beg him to keep going, to never stop this amazing thing he was doing to her body, but she couldn't find her words, especially after he thrust his finger inside her. Nothing had ever felt this good, she doubted anything could compare.

Suddenly her body began to seize. Her eyes widened and against her will, a scream left her lips and her core began squeezing the finger he had inside her. Unable to stop herself, she wrapped her arms tightly to her vampire, wanting to use him as a grounding of some sort, because she was sure that at any moment she would float away. On and on the feeling washed over her, taking with it any worries or concerns she had been thinking of before. Her Vampire seemed pleased by her reaction, and as she felt wetness coating her thighs, he bent down to murmur in a husky voice, "Come for me, Isabella...come for your male."

She wanted to weep as he began thrusting his finger inside her, sending her spiraling toward the feeling all over again.

"Come for me, little bride…come for your man!"

(***)


	4. Chapter 4

-iv-

Cradling his little bride to his chest, Edward breathed deeply to control the emotions raging through him. After her soft body went still from the shudders he'd wrung from her, she tucked her cheek against his chest and held him as if she never wanted to part from him again.

He understood the feeling, because as he held her right now, all he could think about was making it so that she would never leave him again but warring with those feelings was immense guilt. Though he knew he'd brought her pleasure, he regretted it deeply. Although he felt euphoric, his heart began to ache with shame. For nine years he'd searched for her, each moment of the day yearning for her and all that they would have together, yet tonight as he'd found her, he'd stroked and touched her as one would touch a familiar lover. He hadn't treated her as the precious gift she was. Isabella deserved to have romance and passion, she deserved for her first experience with a man to be perfect. What he'd given her tonight was none of those things.

Just as an apology was about to leave his lips, she lifted her head and gazed at him with a dreamy expression and any thoughts of speaking at all left his mind when he saw her lips curl with a gentle smile. His woman had a smile such as he'd never seen.

Looking into her beautiful face, he saw that she held no anger toward him. He couldn't understand how she could be so pleased with him or still desire him even. Edward wanted to simply marvel at her and all she'd given him. His little wife had been everything he'd ever dreamed of, she was passionate and beautiful, she'd let him touch and kiss her as he pleased. She'd given him all these things yet he'd given her nothing in return.

Ever so gently he lifted his little bride and traced her to his room...to _their_ room. As he laid her in his bed, a satisfaction so great washed over him at the knowledge that she was the only woman he'd ever brought to it. He'd often lain awake at the very spot she rested now and day dreamed of her. Dreamed of who and what she'd become. He'd hoped she would be caring and smart, that she would be as beautiful as he'd envisioned her. Gazing down at his little bride, he could only smile, because she'd shamed even his wildest dreams.

Gently sidling onto the bed beside Isabella, he kissed at her eyes and then her nose. He watched as her subtle smile relaxed and her eyes flitted closed before he bent to her ear and kissed her there next.

"You're more than I could have ever dreamed Isabella. You make my chest bow with pride." a tiny smile spread over her and she blinked her eyes open.

"I was afraid you wouldn't want me…" her words were small and unsure, making his chest ache all over again. He knew that she was a mortal; she could never feel the soul-deep possession he felt for her, but he'd hoped that in time she could come to understand that no matter what…she was his. It would always be this way, eternity would meet them and side by side they would stay.

Ever so lightly he held her chin to meet his gaze. As he drowned in the beautiful pull of her eyes, he kissed her lips tenderly. Of all they had experienced tonight, and in all the ways he'd touched her, _this _was the most incredible part. He was sharing his bed with her, with his one mate. He was holding her in his arms and she was _safe._ Before he could assure her of all the ways he'd longed for her and of how much he'd missed her, she fell asleep.

Any disappointment he may have felt over having to wait was dimmed by the thought of how exhausted she must be after a night like this. He had no idea how she'd come to him this night, he didn't even know if she'd had a place of her own to call home. Although those thoughts gnawed at him, he found himself rising from the bed to retrieve a damp towel so as to clean her.

Each step from her side felt as if he'd been sent on a yearlong search for the grail. He was still weary to leave her side, afraid she'd disappear just as before. But upon his return he stopped at the doorway to admire his little bride. Her lips were parted delicately, her lashes dark on her pinkened cheeks. Her arm curled beside her head, the back of her hand rested behind her ear.

Returning to her, he cleaned her legs and thighs with tender strokes. Marveling at how she was formed and at all the delicious new curves she now wore. Her little body had responded so beautifully to him tonight, to his touch. Nothing had ever felt so right to him.

_My bride,_ he thought, his chest filled with pride. _No vampire has a more beautiful one,_ he decided easily.

Lying down beside her again, he examined her at his leisure. He grazed the backs of his fingers down her side, just as he'd done earlier. Again she curved into his touch. Instantly he went hard for her, and found that even in the midst of all this confusion, she could stir him to life by simply moving.

With a groan he stroked himself, still surprised at the stiffness that his shaft had now become. Although it felt good, he forced himself to stop, vowing that when he did get release it would be inside her sweet little body, to the sound of her crying his name.

He'd always been curious about sex. Curiosity plagued him...but now it tormented. He knew that sex with Isabella would be mind blowing, shattering even. He wasn't sure if mind blowing was good though, because he was already a half mad, fallen vampire.

Instantly his thoughts grew to a more serious side. He wondered how he could keep from hurting her little body. Tonight as he'd felt her _inside_, he'd realized just how tight she was. His newly blooded body was more swollen in this state. The blood his now beating heart provided managed to put more muscle on him. His once flaccid penis was no longer that at all. He would tear her by simply trying to fit inside.

That thought made him flinch, he didn't want to give her pain… he _couldn't._ His entire existence had been geared around finding her, protecting her. He'd rather die than ever cause her pain. Trying to push aside his worries, and ignore the ache in his shaft, he laid back and pulled her warm body into him. He sighed with pleasure as she dragged her smooth leg up and over his knee, then draped her arm over his chest.

Though he knew he would be mercilessly aroused this night, he would savor it all. Relishing her touches and the way she was already squeezing his chest in sleep. He could feel the steady beat of her heart against his chest and eventually…he lost himself in sleep too.

(***)

When Bella woke, she was in Edwards arms, with her face tucked against his chest and his fingers gently sifting through her hair. She couldn't recall a single time in her life where she woke feeling completely at ease and loved.

_Loved._

All her life, Isabella had felt like a burden. Even with Bridgette, she'd always felt as if being around was some kind of imposition on her friend. No one had ever made her _feel_ that way necessarily, but having been alone all her life, being a part of anyone else's always felt foreign.

She was still contemplating her new sense of satisfaction when her Vampire spoke. "Did you sleep well?" he asked in a rumbling voice.

She smiled as she turned more fully in his arms and tightened her hold on him. "Yes" she kissed his chest lightly as she nodded. Isabella felt her vampires body shudder from the show of affection and a thrill swept down to her toes at the fact that she could make him react that way.

As she swam in satisfaction there in his arms, he lifted her face to behold her eyes. Isabella didn't think she breathed until broke her gaze, but even then he stared at her lips. "I want to kiss you…" She felt her heart speed up at the idea of him taking her lips. Her vampire didn't seem to faze one bit about the speed of her heart right now, because with a lick at his lips he bent down and kissed her so tenderly.

Her body went heavy with warmth as her vampire kissed her. Over these last few years, she'd wondered often what his kiss would feel like, she'd watch movies and see lovers embrace, tenderly moving their lips together and always fantasizing in the back of her mind what it would be like when she was given her first.

As she relaxed into his arms, his lips coaxed her along. He paused long enough to caress her face then asked, "Have you kissed another, little Bella?" moving his lips against hers once more, she knew that already had to answer to the question. She could _feel_ the male satisfaction emanating from him and even though she was indeed being kissed for the first time, she couldn't find it in her to be embarrassed about it being by him.

"I've never touched another…in _anyway_." His lips seemed hungrier now, more desperate for her. Pulling back from his lips she added, "I've never even held a man's hand." She went back to kissing his lips then, trying to mimic the way he moved against her own. Edward stopped though, and instead of going back to the moment they had been in, he held her face with a gentle firmness and rested his forehead against her own.

Bella blinked her eyes open, the scene before her making her heart fall to her feet. She noticed the hard lines now covering his once soft features and knew that somehow she'd displeased him. Her cheeks began to burn at the idea that he was disappointed in their kiss, in her. I'm _21 and I don't even know how to reciprocate a __simple kiss. _

She didn't doubt that in the last nine years her vampire had kissed and touched another, in fact she was almost sure he had. _How disappointed he must be in having me for his mate. _Rising from their bed, she planned to hide in the bathroom for a moment until her tears quelled. She didn't feel like embarrassing herself further in front of him.

He was up in front of her then, his inhuman speed no match for her own. Though one might have flinched at the way he'd just moved from beside her to in front of her, she didn't. Even after all these years, she didn't even gasp. He knelt before her then, a frown in place as he took in the sight of her tears.

"I'm sorry" She whispered. She couldn't look him in the face right now, was embarrassed so much that the idea of running from here and returning to her little apartment sounded like the best idea she'd ever had.

"Why are you sorry?" Instead of turning her to face him, he moved himself in her line of sight. Knowing that she couldn't escape him, she closed her eyes and dropped her head. "Look at me, please." She _wanted_ to, but she couldn't. She was beyond embarrassed and more importantly, he knew she was…and why.

(***)

When she confessed just how innocent she was, the memories of what he'd done to her last night flooded him. He'd done those things before even sharing their first kiss and the knowledge of that made him sick. He'd planned to explain his behavior, but she'd turned from him then with an expression so stark it had torn at him.

When he couldn't get her to open her eyes, he brought his lips to her cheeks, nose, then eyes. The idea of her being embarrassed for being innocent made his chest ache for her. It was nothing to be embarrassed about; in fact it made him proud. Though he was still scared out of his mind to make love to her and ashamed of how he'd treated her thus far, he found peace in the fact that they would navigate these firsts together.

"Open your eyes." When she still wouldn't he decided he needed to use any means necessary, including guilt. "Are my eyes really that hideous that you cannot look at me?"

That got her to open them. Wide. "What do you mean? You think I'm afraid of you?"

Although he knew it was a low and that his little bride felt nothing of the sort for him, he decided to turn the tables, at least to get her mind off her embarrassment. Turning from her now, he walked toward the closet that housed his elaborate attire. "Well…yes. You can't even stand to look at me; my lips on your own seemed to make you rather uncomfortable." He heard her gasp in shock but he continued on anyway. "I understand if you would rather I not touch you…it makes sense." He turned then to meet her shocked face before adding, "Just please know that I would rather die myself than ever harm you…you're safe with me."

Her face looked as if he might as well have slapped her. Though he thought it was a good plan at first, he no longer did. She looked from him to the bed and she seemed to stutter before speech came.

"It's not…" her head was shaking from side to side, searching for the words that no doubt would negate his own, but instead she began crying hard tears instead of just the light embarrassed ones.

Faster than he had ever moved around her, he's scooped her into his arms and cradled her body with light kisses to her cheeks. Each tear physically pained him, more so than the last because he knew now that _he_ had caused them. He hadn't thought her so sensitive, but looking back to all she'd been through, she'd have to be.

"Please don't cry!" he was wracking his brain, trying to think of anything that would make her smile again, but all he could seem to do was hold her closer.

Gasping for air she clutched her small arms around his neck, seeming to want to be closer to him. The action actually paining him further instead of bringing him comfort. As she shook in his arms, he began apologizing once more, but she beat him to it. "I-I don't know what I'm doing…I…"she shook her head again as if it hurt her to tell him this. "I'm not like normal women, I-I don't know how to please you."

Edward had done a lot of things in his life that he regretted; he'd lied, killed and disappointed his adopted family. Up until this moment, the last had been his most shameful. Looking at his Bella crying right now easily became the new worst. _I've made her feel less than she is…shamed her even._

His newly beating heart hurt for her, for his Isabella. He didn't know how to comfort her, or how to tell her that she pleased him so much just by existing. He didn't have the words to describe the constant ache he felt when she was even a room away, or even how his existence seemed to have meaning again…now that he'd found her. _Need to make her understand, I must apologize._

Bringing her tighter to his chest, he laid her back down and settled himself between her. He had no intention of taking her fully, but he wanted her to _feel _just how much she _pleased _him… how badly he needed her.

With her eyes still down as if with shame, he leaned in to take her lips once more, she pulled away though, tears spilling down her face as she turned her face away. "You don't have to…I know that you're just being nice."

He'd been hoping to take things with his little bride slowly since his epiphany last night and also her confession earlier when she'd woken, but his need for her in this moment was just too strong. He took her lips until she kissed him back. Though she was tentative at first, she eventually lost herself in their kiss.

He tried to remind himself that she was still so young, that she'd never been with a man, but the way she tangled her fingers in his hair and ran her legs up and down his own was just too much. He couldn't keep himself from subtly thrusting against her heat or even from feeling the soft give of her breasts.

He went dizzy with sexual pleasure, feeling on the verge of coming. Stunned and groaning, he yanked her t-shirt until it tore in his hands and removed it from her body. When her lacy bra was the only thing between them, he tugged that too until it ripped and he covered her breast with his palm. He'd squeezed harder than he'd meant to, but when he stopped she raised her chest into his hand, her hips undulating to meet his hardness.

With another groan, he leaned down and opened his grasp so that he could take her nipple with his mouth. He licked desperately, his tongue rasping and sucking over the hard peak until she too was moaning loudly. The pleasure he derived was indescribable, and her every cry intensified it. She threw her arms around him then, running her hands over the muscled ridges of his body as if the feel of it turned her on more. She begged him not to stop, not to take away his mouth from her chest. As if he'd ever dream of taking it away.

Placing his hand on her thigh, he began rubbing upward, seeking the flesh that he rubbed so sensuously last night. She didn't fight him; she didn't even seem to care about his destination. He could feel her hips rolling slowly, her core coming closer to his fingers. The memory of her reactions last night only fueled him, and before he could think too much about it, his hand was touching her womanhood once more.

She was waxed…or shaved, he wasn't sure. There was only a small patch of hair at the nape of her core, not a single bit more anywhere else. Suddenly thoughts of taking her with his mouth assaulted him, thoughts of taking her fully that way until she was ready to receive him. He turned then, needing to thrust against anything, but finding only the air to meet his hard shaft.

His little bride tensed, her need calling out to him once more. She seemed so ready to be claimed completely, merely awaiting him to take her. Never taking his lips from her body, he moved her by her hips until her tight little quim was covering his mouth.

"You taste so good…." He said between licks. She tasted of honey, the sweetest in existence and he wanted to relinquish any future blood he may need so that he could live off this forever.

Already he feared she'd come too soon, so he pulled his tongue away, trying to keep her on the edge. She made a sound of frustration, but he wanted to savor her, to taste his little bride as she fell over the edge and poured into his mouth. He managed to keep himself focused, drawing back and laying down to lift her hips and straddle his head. Like this, he could watch her writhe above him, her body glow with satisfaction.

He clamped his arms over the tops of her thighs, fixing her tight to his mouth. As he lapped at her core again and again, his shaft stood rigid as a pole. He hadn't realized before that bringing her release would bring his own, but here he was, wild with a sensuous little bride riding his mouth and begging him to make her come.

"Please, Vampire…please…" she rocked her hips over his mouth once more, searching for friction and bliss from his tongue. "Please, Edward…" The sound of his name coming off her tongue as he did these things to her with his own was his undoing.

Unable to deny her, he plunged his stiffened tongue, once, twice, his hips thrusting in time —

She threw her head back as she came atop him. "Ah god, yes!" His little Bella undulated over his mouth, rocking on his tongue. The room seemed to spin as he drank her in, her orgasm dripping like honey, making him groan in bliss.

Once he'd wrung every last drop from her, they both collapsed on the bed, catching their breaths. He never released his hold on her, and when they were both calmed and breathing evenly, he turned her to her back and nuzzled her cheek with his own.

"You please me so much, Isabella…can you see now how much?" she curled into him then, her face tucked gently into the dip of his sternum.

"Mhmmm" she moaned.

Though they had much to discuss and details to pore over, he held his little bride tightly and relished the simple fact that she was with him…and he would never let her go again.

(***)

In their bed, Edward lay on his side, stroking the backs of his fingers from her naval to her breasts. He was utterly content for the first time in his entire existence. It didn't matter that he hadn't claimed her; she'd still managed to give him unimaginable, mind-boggling pleasure. That and a soul deep feeling of connection with her had him on cloud nine.

His little bride seemed to be just as content with him, lying beside him, caressing the side of his face and talking happily about any and all things. He wanted to roar with triumph anytime she said _we_ or _us._ It was as if he'd been reborn or given a new slate in life. For as long as he could remember, he'd cursed his existence, hated that he was forever frozen in an unchanging state, but no longer.

He wasn't even wholly the same. His heart now beat, the blood it provided now warming his body so he could hold her in his arms without fear of making her shiver. He was still cataloging all the new positives in his life when he heard his brides belly rumble.

She laughed at the sound and tucked her face tighter against him, but she wasn't embarrassed. He found himself smiling down at her as he made her face him, because it reminded him of when he had found her. All those years ago he had met his little bride and fed her in this home, once more he was able to do the same.

Rising to his knees, he pulled her up with him. She didn't seem to mind in the least that he constantly kept bringing her with him, whether to roll over or to stretch. She too was anxious to stay right there in his arms.

"Tell me what you like to eat and I'll return with it…" he trailed off as his lips kissed down her neck. He loved kissing her here, loved familiarizing himself with the smell of her skin and the scent of her blood. He knew that never again would he loose her, she was forever branded into his memory, and he could trace her from here to eternity. _Never again will I part from this creature, never._

When she hadn't answered his question about food, he lightly nipped at her ear and nuzzled her cheek as to coax her. He could hear her heart speed up at that, and knew that it had pleased her. _I'll make note of that for future play._

"Maybe just some coffee and a bagel…?" Edward merely grinned with raised eye brows as to chide her, because yes, he would bring her bagel and coffee, but along with it would come more food than just that.

She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it as if she thought better of it. Curiosity plagued him with her, because he couldn't read her mind. He never could, not even when she was a little girl. All his existence as a Vampire he'd been able to read any mind. He knew what people liked, what they hated, he'd depended on it greatly to interact with people.

So naturally, as luck would have it…he couldn't read her mind. It maddened him that he couldn't, because of all the people in the world, _her_ thoughts were the ones that counted above all. Gently lacing his fingers in her hair, he guided her head to meet his eyes.

"What were you going to say?" He tried to control the neediness in his voice, but he was dying to know.

With her face buried in his chest he heard her whisper, "I don't have any clothes…" He raked his gaze over her, admiring the dip in her back and the swell of her generous backside. What was left of her tiny shirt lay in scraps at the foot of their bed and her leather pants…well those lay in scraps in their living room as well.

Though it was true the clothes she wore last night were destroyed, it wasn't true that she had no clothes. Silently rising from the bed, he scooped her up and led her to his elaborate dresser where he pulled out an undershirt and gently dressed her in it.

She smiled as he laced her arms through the holes and he didn't miss when she breathed in deeply as it went over her head. His lass seemed pleased with the scent of his clothing, with the scent of him.

"Well this will work for now, but I'll have to go home to get real clothes." He froze then, his form as still as a statue. He didn't miss that she'd said, _home._ He'd assumed that she would stay with him from now on, that this _was home_ now.

Not wanting to scare her into running again, he stood before her quietly as he collected his thoughts and wishes. Isabella watched him carefully too, seeming to know that he was doing this and that her words had caused it. Ever the brave one, she smiled and leaned up to kiss him.

"Is this my home now, Vampire?" Her words were a whisper, her lips still brushing his as she spoke. Edward felt relief wash over him as he took in her words. Looking at her now, he realized that she had said that statement as a test, to see if he would contest her leaving or not.

"This _is_ your home, it always will be." He kissed her back now and lost himself in the knowledge that she truly was here. When her belly rumbled again, he grinned against her lips and slowly broke away. "You _do_ have clothes here by the way…"

He led her to the closet on the far right wall. There he opened the plantation doors and revealed the walk in closet filled with garment bags and racks of clothing. She stepped inside, slowly appraising all the offerings he'd presented her with. There were pieces everywhere, purses and shoes as well. She stepped through the massive walk-in, checking out the different offerings and admiring the materials they were made of. Edward watched her reaction as she took in the tags that still adorned the clothing, and he knew immediately that she hadn't owned anything like them up until this point.

"Do you like everything?" he asked. She looked back to him, her eyes glazed over with appreciation and tears as she nodded.

"Are these really mine?" Her voice was shaking with emotion, her lips parted in awe. This was one of his proudest moments in life, to care for and spoil his little bride. He vowed she would have the finest of everything from this moment forward; he would pay any price for her to look this happy every day.

"How did you…when…?" He knew what she was trying to ask, and he already had the answer.

"I've purchased things for you throughout the years; I replace what goes out of style and always keep this closet ready for you." It was true, years ago he'd dreamed of finding her and not having anything here for her. He woke with a rush the next morning seeming behind in his task of caring for her and started on filling this closet entirely for her. He'd remembered back to the night he'd found her and recounted how he'd had to steal clothing for her that night. Never again he'd vowed. Always knowing he would find her, he set about making this her home as well.

"You never gave up on me…" It was a statement, not a question. He went to her side and kissed her cheek and took her hand to walk her back to their bed.

"I knew I would find you again, Bella. I would have searched for eternity for you."

(***)

This male was pure intensity. Isabella was in awe of her vampire; of the way he seemed to love her already. These things he said to her weren't practiced words of sentiment; these were words he couldn't contain.

Isabella was lost for her vampire and knew that a life without him simply wasn't in the cards. She was just fine with that, because when she'd set out to find him last night, she'd made peace with the fact that her old life was gone. No longer would she return to her little room on Morgan Ave, never again would she open the small book store for Karen, the owner. Her life was here now…with him.

She turned once more to take in the closet full of clothes, before thanking him for the beautiful gift. "I've never had this much of anything…" she moved to him slowly, her body already on fire for him once more. "Thank you, Edward." Reaching up on her tip toes she kissed his lips lightly and rested her hands upon his chest.

He didn't say anything, just continued to gaze at her as if she were the most beautiful site he'd ever seen. Her belly rumbled once more though, instantly breaking him from his trance. He lifted her in his arms once more and gently set her on the bed.

"I want to feed you but I'm scared you won't be here when I return." His eyes were blazing into her own as he confessed his fear, completely unashamed to show her this vulnerability.

For Isabella this was all new territory. She'd never had to assure a man of her feelings, to make one secure. Yes it was all new, but it was welcome. Edward was her man now and she would delight in finding ways to assure him of her feelings for him.

She went to her knees on the mattress so that she could wrap her arms around his neck. When he held her tightly in his arms she smiled a dreamy smile and looked him square in the eyes. "I'm not going anywhere, vampire. I'm yours now and you are mine" she kissed his lips before adding, "It will always be this way."

Rising from their bed now she padded her way to the luxury bathroom attached to the master suite. At the door she turned over her shoulder as she called out to him. "I'll just be in the shower. Come find me when you return?" Then without planning to, she pulled his shirt from over her head and sauntered toward the glass doors that no doubt held a shower.

She was almost sure she heard him groan before she turned on the water.


	5. Chapter 5

-V-

In the days that followed, both Isabella and Edward had acclimated well toward each other's new presence in one another's life. On the one hand, there was Edward, who for many reasons would have walked through the sun in ST. Tropez for his bride, having her here required very little adjusting to on his part, other than to the fact that she required food several times a day where as he required none.

For Isabella it took a bit more than just learning this was her new home. All her life she'd been alone, she'd been the one to work, buy food and make sure she had things she'd needed, but no longer. Now she adjusted to having someone care for her, cook for her or run out to the market if she'd even hinted at wanting a sweet. He doted on his little bride wanting to spoil and protect her. He was fiercely overprotective too, just this morning a splinter in her finger was rated as calamitous. It was a most welcomed adjustment, but an adjustment nonetheless.

During the last four days they had finally begun talking to one another about their last nine years apart, and though one might not find that a feat, it certainly was to a newly blooded vampire and his fated bride. It's not to say that they didn't get off track, in fact the two could be simply speaking of how the wind was blowing nicely in the Chicago air and it would end with both panting and petting each other.

And he still hadn't claimed her, not yet. That second night she'd continually attempted to coax him further with her, had wanted so badly for him to claim her completely and show her all the wonders of coupling that she'd fantasized about with him. When he hadn't bent, not even when she dug through her intimates' drawer and found a racy silk black piece, she'd ended up in tears. He'd finally confessed his fears of hurting her delicate body, and though she protested his worries, he'd won out in the end.

Yes she was aching, but so was he. At night he'd lay awake for hours with such a pain in his shaft that he doubted he could stay sane another moment without being inside her. But somehow, by the grace of whatever kept him walking this earth all these years, he'd managed to find sleep with her untried body closely entangled with his own.

Yes, life among the happy couple was more than content. In the mornings he would make her breakfast, each day rising before her and waking her with a kiss to her lips with the smell of bacon wafting through the room.

They hadn't traveled much outside their beautiful brownstone home, but when they did venture out he was always spoiling her with gifts and surprises. Just yesterday he'd walked hand in hand with her to a little ice cream shop near their home. He'd indulged her with a sweet and then covered her eyes as to signal a surprise. When he released her, they were in the willow covered port at their home and sitting in the parking space below the oak was a shiny black car tied in a pretty red bow.

"I want you to have _everything_, especially a way to travel around the city…when I cannot go out in the day alongside you." She could only imagine how hard that was for him to say, because even when she walked into the kitchen she could always count on the fact that he would trace there to simply be near her. He never forbade her to leave though, she suspected it was because he was desperately trying to treat her as an equal now and not scare her off. He even stopped waking from sleep to ensure she was still there, slowly growing confident that she would remain with him, and would always return.

(***)

This afternoon as they talked, Edward had finally broached the subject of Isabella's last nine years. Though she had been hesitant to tell him about her time away from him, she knew that she couldn't hide it forever. She wasn't ashamed of her life by any means, but she knew how he would react. He was so protective over her that the idea of her living as she did would no doubt make him either angry or sick…maybe even both. Deciding that after all they had been through thus far, he deserved to know, she'd started out easy. Telling him of the way she'd made it out of the city. Well into her story she noticed the red of his eyes blazed even brighter after she'd told him of her make shift home in a gym.

He'd said nothing as she described her average day, but she noted how his jaw seemed to clench when she described how it felt to want to come back to him every day. Isabella left nothing out, telling him of her last few years of living with Bridgette and the kindness her friend had bestowed upon her. He seemed to hold her closer when she described the way her friend's parents had purchased her a bed when they'd found out she hadn't had one when the girls moved in together.

"I could have given you one…It should have been _me _providing for you." He tucked her closer to his chest as he shook with emotion.

It was the only thing he'd said in the entire time she had been talking and for Isabella, his obvious discomfort over her past was the only thing that shamed her. She knew how much he wanted to please her, could feel it in even the way he kissed her or held her gaze. She couldn't even imagine the way he felt in this moment, knowing that he could have given her everything she could have ever wanted and more but having been denied that great pleasure because she had run from him.

Her voice low, she whispered into his chest, "I wanted to come back…" He turned her then, his eyes desperate to understand her and why she hadn't done exactly that. Though he didn't ask the words aloud, she answered the silent question anyway. "I didn't know the way. I was scared to go back to where you found me, was afraid it wouldn't be you that found me again."

(***)

He'd been distressed beyond any measure he could remember when she'd told him of her last nine years. As he listened to her recall her years living in a school gymnasium, he'd felt as if someone sent a punishing kick to his gut.

He'd listened with rapt attention as she recalled the way she landed her job at the small book store, then of the friend she'd just found only a couple years past. He'd never imagined that his body would feel sick, had always assumed that those emotions no longer applied to him because he was a vampire...but he was wrong. Sitting there with her in his arms and telling her story made his stomach twist with pain, he felt literally ill at the thought of her having to rely on the kindness of strangers in this city at such a young age, but mostly because he knew what an alarmingly large part of the city was filled with disgusting deviants.

But perhaps the worst part of the entire story was the fact that she'd wanted to come back. He wished with all that he was that he could go back in time and give her a key. He wished he had thought to write the address down or even have handed her his phone. Of course it made no sense at the time, how could he have known that she had planned to leave him? Her mind had been just as silent then as it was today and not having his ability with her still drove him crazy to no end. But the past was the past, and no matter what they had endured apart, they were together now and that was all that mattered.

(***)

Though he still hadn't claimed her fully, the two had learned to slake each other's lusts and desires. He now knew that a kiss to her earlobe could bring her over the edge as his fingers stroked her. And Isabella now knew that moaning his name and feeding him her breast as he stroked her made him mad with lust. Their second night together she'd come to bed in a silky black negligee that had been among many in her dresser side, and though her vampire shook with need, he'd made no move to take her completely, instead taking her into her arms and holding her as if he thought the entire scene had been _cute._ It had taken all but the first sight of her tears for him to confess that he feared hurting her that way, when she'd tried to assure him that he wouldn't, he wordlessly stripped down to nothing and showed her just what he meant.

Did he want to claim her? Absolutely! But the idea of spilling her virgin's blood while he was high on his lust for her scared him more than anything had ever before. He'd planned on easing into things first, learning his reactions to all the new feelings that seemed to overwhelm him every second of the day. Simply having a woman to care for was a new experience, but _loving _one as he did his Isabella was far more new. He'd always known that he would love her, even when she was just a little girl, but what he hadn't known was the all-consuming way he would end up doing it.

Tonight Edward planned on speaking with his little bride about her mortality. The knowledge of her vulnerability worried him to no end; he was constantly filled with a sense of urgency when away from her side. She was so fragile, her life so easily able to end. At times as she slept he would stare at her beautiful face and make himself almost sick with the idea of her ever being harmed. He often thought, "_My heart lie vulnerable outside my chest."_ He hadn't told her he loved her yet, was waiting for the perfect moment to say those words, but already it was becoming increasingly difficult to not just blurt it out.

Though it was the most selfish act he would ever do, he'd planned on asking her to be turned. He would have gladly been the one to change, but as it was, he couldn't. The only way to keep her forever was to make her of his kind, and he planned to beg, plead and bribe her if he had to. Edward wanted his little bride forever, that was all there was to it. Her human life span just wouldn't be enough; it would take him at least a century to comprehend the way he felt when he simply touched her skin, and another to revel in it. Yes he was selfish, but that wouldn't stop him from seeking her hand for eternity.

(***)

"There's something I would like to talk to you about." As Isabella stepped from their master bathroom she noted the serious tone of his voice. Having no memories of any kind where anyone wanted to talk seriously with her, she became nervous that she'd already done something wrong in her vampire's home. Instinctively she looked around to make sure she hadn't left clothes on the floor, or wet towels somewhere behind her. "What are you looking for, Sweetheart? Did you lose something?"

Now she was confused. "No. I-I thought maybe I did something wrong…that maybe I left clothes on the floor or something. Wordlessly he traced to her and lifted her into his arms then carried her to their bed.

"This is your _home_, Bella…do as you please. In my eyes you could do _nothing_ wrong." He kissed her lips and sat her in the middle of the large bed at the center of the room. She watched as he paced before her, seeming to think about whatever it was that he wanted to talk to her about. She'd hoped it was about sex, was beyond eager to experience everything with him, to finally know that pleasure and for him to be the one to give it.

Just as she was about to remove her robe and bare herself as an offering, he spoke. "There's no easy way to even begin this, so I'll just say it. I want to turn you…to make you as I am…so we can be together forever."

_Okay, so definitely not going to broach sex tonight I guess._ She sat for a moment, absorbing what he'd just said. It wasn't as if she hadn't thought about this herself, just yesterday she had woken in the night and thought, _I'll never get enough._

It wasn't as if she had some great life she would be leaving behind, she was an orphan. She had no family, no ties…outside of Bridgette; she doubted that anyone would ever notice she'd be gone. But wait…would she be gone? Suddenly a myriad of different questions began firing from her mouth before she could even filter them.

"Would it hurt? Do I die? Will I be different?" Gazing up at him with what she knew was fear she finished with, "Will I have to kill people?"

(***)

Edward seemed relieved, simply tracing to her side with a smile. "No…you don't have to kill people." He kissed her nose and sat up against the head board, bringing her to lie between his legs with her back to his chest. Holding her tiny hand in his, he started at the beginning.

"Do you remember when you told me about why you left me all those years ago?" He twined their fingers and kissed at her pretty little ears as she nodded.

"Because I thought you were going to send me to others…to other vampires to be raised." Her voice was small, but she didn't seem scared, which pleased him more than anything in this moment.

"I was speaking to my father that night." She turned then, her eyes filled with more questions but she didn't voice them. Instead she sat herself on his lap, her signal that she wanted to hear more. "He's not my _real_ father; he's the man that turned me."

And so for the next hour, Edward told his little bride the story of how he came to be. He told her of the family he'd left behind and of the disappointment he had caused when he turned away from their strict diet. He detailed his life before finding her in that dark alley all those years ago and how simply having her now filled him with more content than he'd ever experienced, both alive and now.

"Do you still kill? I woke the other night to an empty bed and saw the curtains fluttering in the breeze. Did you go hunting that night?" She asked the question the way one would ask about an errand. He couldn't understand what it was about her that made her so understanding, but all the same he treasured her just as she was.

He had gone hunting that night; he'd even found his prey. But the man smelled of cheap gin and cigarettes and in the end, Edward hadn't been able to do it. The last thing he'd tasted that night had been Isabella's sweet lips. _Drink this vile man with the same lips I kiss my bride?_ He'd happily discarded the man and made his way to the forest at the outer edge of the city.

That night had marked to first of many that would follow. Instead of the humans he'd once hunted, Edward now found animals. He'd found his way back to salvation with the simple act of finding his bride. Though he'd done things in his past that were reprehensible, he would work hard on being the man she deserved.

With his little bride in his lap he told her exactly what he had done that night and how he was changing…for her. He could see her eyes filled with wonder as if he'd hung the stars just for her. Looks like those could go to a man's head. Already he seemed to be standing taller at the little ways she'd made her mark on their home. Simply seeing her towel folded in a different way or having her bathrobe lying at the foot of their bed in the morning made him feel proud.

When it was all said and done, he sat quietly with her still sitting perched in his lap. She seemed to be thinking, wrapping her mind around all he'd just divested. For Edward, the fact that she hadn't run away from him or laughed in his face at the request was all the promise he could ask for at this moment.

"Does it hurt?" she turned fully in his arms then, their bodies so close that they would join if not for the barriers of clothing between them. The idea both excited and scared him, but still he let her remain there.

"I don't remember much about the change, sweetheart. I had been very sick when it happened. I remember waking…and the thirst that followed after." He would be honest with her; she deserved to have these answers. The only thing he hated about this being their only avenue was that she would indeed suffer. The thirst was unbearable at first, only after years of hunting or mastering her thoughts would the ache lessen. Even now, having his little bride near him made his fangs ache for her pale flesh. Often he would imagine his mouth between her legs, kissing her giving flesh and licking anything that had traced her pretty thighs…then…in a moment of undeniable need he would bite her pale thighs. He was still imagining that when spoke again.

"I want to be with you forever too. However we can be…I love you." Before he could reciprocate the feeling she was kissing him. Her lips like a drug, the sweetness so addictive he craved it every second of the day. Laying her down beneath him, she lifted her arms so he could remove her top. Always eager to see he gorgeous breasts, he obliged.

The sight of her beautiful breasts had him swaying on his arms above her. She was so beautiful, the mere sight of her making his shaft ache for release in her. Before he could remember all the ways this was a bad idea, his little bride shimmied from her panties and drew her legs tightly around his waist. The heat of her core nearly felled him right then and there, but then she was tugging on his jeans, and god help him he began to help her.

(***)


	6. Chapter 6

-vi-

He'd resisted her for as long as he could and now the moment was upon him. When the last barrier of clothing was removed and they were both laid out before each other as equals, the monumental feeling of what was about to happen washed over him in waves.

He took her lips with the need for her burning through him, nearly overwhelming his already fragile mind completely. He dimly realized he was speaking to her, coaxing her along with his words to meet him in this mindless state. "Dreamed of this..." Between tonguing her sweet lips he would murmur his thoughts, "You taste like a pot of honey..." he moved to her nipples, slowly suckling her at the tips. "Waited so long to be with you like this."

When she arched beneath him and his shaft glided through her wetness, he went nearly mindless, rubbing against her for more, seeming to search that hot, slick connection between the two of them once more. When she moved her hips also though, the tip of his shaft prodded at her soft core and he went mindless with lust.

Pinning her arms above her head, he settled his body along her own then took her little earlobe between his lips as he knew she liked. Her moans turning to pleading as she rocked along the hard shaft he now had to offer her. Each time she would move, her little sheath coated him in her wetness, the feel of it making him shake with absolute need.

"Please" she kept repeating as he tried desperately to get control of himself. He would have her this night, could deny them this no longer. Desperate now, nearly crazy he moved his hips along her own, her heat making him hungry for the feel of her gloving his shaft.

He fisted his length, his sensitive tip finding her wetness once more as he ran the head along her softness, groaning in utter delight each time it briefly touched her core. "You're so wet, for me love, I bet you're as tight as a fist for me as well."

Crying his name she mindlessly rubbed along too, rocking on the swollen crown he had to offer her. "That's it, love, move on me!" In a voice he didn't know he had, he told her, "Get your honey all over it."

That alone sent her over the edge and before he could warn her that he was about to enter her, she clutched at his hips, pulling him down as she raised her own to meet him. He surged home then, her tight little quim gloving him as a second skin. His thick, pulsating shaft was buried in her, in his one mate. Triumph filled him as she pulled back to surge forward once more.

(***)

In a searing rush of pain, she winced, unable to hold back the cry that fell from her lips. "Your crying! I've hurt you!" Edward stopped moving at once, a look of horror befalling his beautiful face. Before he could leave her body, she gripped his arms and gave him a pleading look, "Just give me a moment...please. Don't leave my body." He looked as if he were about to argue, but she pleaded once more, "Can you do this for me..._please!"_

Unable to deny her anything, he nodded his head as he looked upon her beautiful face, staying inside her, not moving a muscle in fear of hurting her further.

After long moments she gently rocked her hips up, signaling to him that she was ready. Though he groaned in bliss as she moved beneath him, he was still afraid to try himself once more. Isabella was desperate for him, wanted so much for them both to enjoy this gift and let go. Though she was nervous as hell, the love she had for her vampire overshadowed even the worst of her embarrassment. "Can I-can I get on top?" she whispered.

With a lick to her lips, he wordlessly turned them both, settling her body over his own as his hungry eyes focused on the sway of her breasts. She tentatively rocked up and back, then again. Each time her body adjusted to the feel of him deep inside her.

Soon pleasure overrode the pain and his reactions to her movements fueled her on even further. No longer did she worry about the fact that she was bared to him like this, the look of wonder in his eyes as he watched her moving on him empowered her, made her feel _sexy_ not cute.

This deadly, dangerous man was a mass of muscle but right now, _she_ was in control of it. He didn't seem to mind in the least that this was so. When she began to ride him in long steady strokes, he bellowed her name, his eyes squeezing shut, his jaw slack.

(***)

This was what he had ached for, what he'd been missing his entire existence, even from his human life. He'd always regretted not having sex, but now, with his bride writhing above him, her breasts swaying with every swing of her hips, he was grateful that it was _her_ that he shared this with.

Inside his Isabella, he'd never known greater pleasure. He'd been waiting all these years for this...for her. Watching he as she rode him made his chest swell with pride, when she threw back her head in abandon, her long hair swept over his thighs. She clutched his legs behind her, using them as leverage to ride him faster. Her breasts bounced with heaviness and he watched where they were joined, he nearly came from the sight of his shaft appearing and disappearing with each thrust of her body.

He was so close now, the sight of her moving sending him nearly over the edge. Though he wanted release, he _needed_ her to come first. Desperate now, he clutched her little hips and drove up hard, bouncing her on his body. Her eyes flashed open, her face lighting up with absolute delight as she gasped and dug her little nails in his chest.

"Do that again" she begged. Edward clutched her hips, working her body up and down his shaft as she moaned and shook. He could feel the tight clench of her sheath, the way her body fit so perfectly with his own. He was about to command her to come, but just then, her body began tightening above him, her little quim squeezing his aching shaft. The yells that followed were proceeded by her wetness that coated him inside her.

Urges wracked him, his fangs sharpened. Unable to deny the urge any longer, he flipped them, driving between her legs and tugging her by the hair to expose her neck. As his hips bucked, he found himself easing toward her beautiful neck, dazed by the lovely pulse that seemed to mock him. _Take her completely_, his mind whispered. He licked her then, readying her for his bite. _Take her now!_

He pierced her tender neck; the sweetest blood he'd ever tasted flooded his tongue, making his eyes roll back into his head. His eyes flashed open when he began sucking her, the taste of his bride on his tongue making him shudder with emotion. Her blood flooded his body, sliding down his throat like the finest wine in existence. He groaned in ecstasy, heat licking through his veins, her heat...her essence.

"You need to stop" her words sounded distant, weak compared to the firing of her pulse in his ears, still he continued to take from her. "You're going to kill me if you don't stop..." _Cant stop...need this! _

"Edward..." Her voice was fading, her pulse firing harder, but somehow, with a will he hadn't known he possessed, he stopped taking from her, but his fangs remained within. With a growl against her damp skin his seed erupted in blinding waves. _Mine! Claimed completely, mine!_

When the last of his spend was wrung from his body, he pulled back from her, examining her pretty face. Her eyes were closed, her cheeks pink from her orgasm. The line at her lips held a hint of a smile, so much so that he thought she was simply coming down from the high with him. Kissing her eyes then her running his cheek along her own he murmured, "That was worth every second I've waited to claim you, love..." She didn't move, her eyes remaining shut.

Frowning at her silence, he bent to take her lips. When he kissed her and she didn't respond to it, his heart began to race. "Isabella?" Fear overwhelmed him, his body a string of tension when she still hadn't responded.

Gently pulling out of her body, he went to his knees to examine her better. He could hear the beat of her heart still, but the rhythm was weak. His body began to shake as his gaze was drawn to the bite he'd given at her neck. Blood was still leaking, her neck stained with the deep color standing out against her pale flesh. The sight didn't tempt him though, instead it made him ill. He'd taken too much, he'd hurt the gift he'd just been given.

Not wanting to leave her side, he clutched her in his arms and traced to his cell phone then back to the bed. He laid her down gently as his shaky fingers hit the speed dial for a number he hadn't used in almost nine years.

When his father answered the phone, the words began spilling from his lips in such a rush it would have sounded like wind to anyone else.

"I-I've hurt her! She's bleeding...won't wake!" He rambled on and on until Carlisle cut him off and tried to make sense of the call.

"Who've you hurt? What are you talking about?"

Barely holding on to his sanity, he tried his best to explain. "Isabella, my bride. I've found her and we made love tonight...I bit her though and I think I took too much because she wont wake, wont speak..."

"You _bit_ her?" Carlisle sounded appalled at that, as if the ease in which Edward had said it was repulsive.

"I-I didn't mean to! I didn't plan...it just that we...we were making love and before..."he trailed off, not wanting to speak of how his seed had spent from him in waves of maddening lust. "I-I bit her, god forgive me I bit her."

"Does her heart still beat?" His words were rushed, his voice a mass of nerves.

"Faintly but yes. But... she's still bleeding!"

Carlisle was quiet, _too_ quiet. For a moment Edward thought that he'd lost the connection, but then with a sigh Carlisle broke his silence. "You need to lick her wound Edward, you have to seal it with your venom."

He stared at her crimson stained neck but not with yearning for her blood, he wanted _her_ more than anything, even more than that sweet wine she'd seeded to him moments ago. Knowing his father would never steer him wrong, he bent to her neck, licking her there with a sorrow so deep it nearly felled him.

He should have thought about this more, should have stopped what they'd done and consulted his father. He never should have taken such careless risks with her body, not after he'd searched so long for her. Tonight she'd told him she wanted to be like him, and though that was about to happen, this wasn't the way he'd wanted it to be.

Fighting past the taste of her beautiful essence, he licked at her bite until the blood around it was gone and the pierced skin no longer dripped blood. Pulling back from her neck, he laid his forehead to her own and apologized to her, hoping to everything that would listen that she felt no pain.

"It's done" he whispered into the cell. Carlisle proceeded to tell him of what the next three days held in store for her. He detailed how her heart would stop at some point and that when it happened, she might even scream out in pure agony as the change swept through her, transforming her into her immortal state.

He could hear the pity in his fathers voice, could tell that he knew it was going to kill him if he hadn't already gone mad from his fear of losing her. Though his father offered to come be there with him for support, Edward asked him not to. He remembered her telling him that she'd been scared he'd send her away to other vampires when she was a little girl and the thought that she might wake and think he'd planned to do the same again scared him. If she ran as an immortal, she could stay hidden. Worse than that she might accidentally hurt a human and he knew how much she didn't want to.

Hanging up with his father, he set about caring for her, trying to track each marker that his father had just divulged. But she remained silent, her heart still slowing and her body unmoving. His vision began to go blurry. Lowering his forehead to her shoulder, he rasped an apology, hoping that she could hear him, that she could forgive him for having done this to her.

He was about to lose it, knew he was on the verge of breaking once and for all. Unable to stop himself he rubbed along her cheek with his own over and over, whispering her name repeatedly. "I'm so sorry, baby...so sorry." kissing her earlobe he pleaded with her still body. "Just don't leave me, don't die. Stay with me..." The old madness of drinking others to death threatened to reclaim him. His thoughts beginning to spin out of control without her beautiful eyes and words to center him. Tears began to spill on her, he thought he'd even began pleading.

At that, her little body showed the first sign of life. Softly whimpering, she subtly nodded against him. That alone was enough to get him to take command of his emotions. Going to his knees, he reached for her robe that he'd discarded earlier and gently laced her arms through.

Wanting to make sure she stayed warm, he tugged at the silk with jerky motions, trying to ensure her little body was covered. When he was pleased that he'd tightened it around her secure enough, he tucked her under the blankets and set about dressing himself.

He slung on a pair of pants and yanked on the first t-shirt he could find, all the while tracing around the room to retrieve a wet towel and more blankets. Returning to her side, he washed her neck as delicately as he could, meticulously wiping the blood that had already begun hardening on her porcelain flesh.

It didn't effect him now, at least not in the way it had earlier. His fangs no longer ached, his mind not consumed with the sweet taste of her. Instead, it now reminded him of life. _Her life._

Before this night, or better yet, before Isabella, he wouldn't have been able to focus on anything other than the red now coating the damp towel. His entire existence had been to take it, now his entire being and purpose was to preserve her. To ensure her safety and keep her content. That blood held no power over him now, only the need to see her soft eyes blinking up at him and her lips curling with her happiness held any power. He was lost for his Isabella...lost for his bride.

(***)

_**But What Edward didn't know, was that someone had been there that night. Had seen and heard everything that had happened between he and his little bride. What he didn't know was that there had been a mark on his head so big that those watching him had been waiting for this day. Word had gotten out that he'd found his bride, whether by accident or purpose only they knew.**_

_**That night as he'd cared for his little bride and his attentions were solely on her, they acted. Taking him from her side and separating him from his world they used his love for her against him. If he left with them quietly, she would live. They would not destroy her as they threatened to, but the trade off was his life. **_

_**In order to keep her safe he would have to be one of them now. After years of fighting it, they'd finally found a weakness he'd gladly take the alternative for. That night he left his bride, and when he'd reached his new destination, he'd been forced to drink so many lives to death that he'd absorbed too many memories to remember his own.**_

_**At some point in the hours that had followed, madness had fully captured his mind...forever forfeiting whatever happiness he could have salvaged with his little bride. **_

_**When Isabella would wake, she would find herself alone...just as she had all those years ago as a little girl. First her mother had left her...and now her vampire.**_


	7. Chapter 7

-vii-

When Isabella had awoken from the burning sleep she'd endured, she had found that she was alone. Though her mind was flooded with a slew of thoughts and sounds, she'd managed to comprehend that this was the first time since returning to Edward, that he hadn't been there when she'd woken. _It makes no sense…why would he not be here today of all days?_

She had no idea what day it was or even how long she'd been under, but she noted that her instincts screamed at her to stay indoors. There was a burn in her throat; a hunger that she'd never known seemed to be fighting its way from the back of her mind to the forefront. _Where is he? Perhaps he went to get me blood…?_ Yes, that had to be it. That was the only reason he wouldn't have been there in that moment, Edward was far too protective of her for anything else to have caused his absence. Deciding to wait for him, she sat in the center of their large bed as she tried to think of anything other than the burn in her throat.

But when minutes turned into an hour, and the sun in the sky began to fall, reality suddenly sank it. She was alone. For now the sad reality overshadowed even the worst of her need to drink as she tried repeatedly to wrap her head around the fact that she'd been abandoned once again. She vaguely remembered his voice in the twilight of her sleep, pieces of the time she'd been under seemed to be surfacing, but she'd only remembered hearing him plead her not to die. Had there been weeping? She couldn't recall for certain.

With nothing but time and silence to fill her wait, her mind began wondering to a much graver reality. _If he never returns…what do I do? _She had no idea what she was doing, how to survive. Isabella hadn't even the slightest clue as to how she would make it in this new life, let alone keep herself alive. As a homeless child she managed to figure a few things out, but as a newly created vampire? _How am I suppos__ed to drink? Better yet, _who_ am I supposed to drink?_

She was near hyperventilating from those thoughts when there was a knock at the door. Hoping it was Edward, she ran to answer it, astounding herself with her new speed as she slammed head first into the oak. She didn't have enough time to feel stupid about it before the door opened from the guest on the other end.

A blonde man and a brunette haired woman entered, both seeming shocked at Isabella's presence on the floor. "Are you alright?" the woman asked.

That was Isabella's undoing. With a dry sob ripping from her chest, she sat with her face in her hands and shook her head no. "I-I don't….I don't know!" The woman kneeled down beside her with a warm embrace and patted Isabella's back in a calming fashion.

"It's okay, sweetheart. Everything is going to be alright." Wanting to believe that this was so, Isabella continued to sit there, allowing the woman to hold and comfort her the way she wished Edward had been there to do.

"Are you alone?" She looked up to see the man watching her with a bewildered face. She had no idea who these people were, but every thread of her body told her that she could trust them.

"Are you friends of Edwards?" she asked, hoping that they could lead her toward the right direction, if not to be with him, then to at least get answers.

"I'm Carlisle and this is Esme. We're the closest things to parents that he has." It all snapped into place for her then. This was his creator…his father. Edward had told her of his family, of how he'd been created and taught to live on animals…of how he'd broken from that diet and disappointed his mother and father.

Surely they would know what the hell was happening…where her Vampire had gone. "I don't know where he is… why he would leave me like this." She bit back a sob as she tried to tell them of all that had happened. "We-We'd been together but then he bit me...and I woke up alone" fighting the useless tears she finished, "he left me."

Helping her rise from the ground, Carlisle and Esme saw to Isabella's needs. As Esme explained to her the realities she would now face, Carlisle retrieved bagged blood from the bank in the city. They told her of their lifestyle and how they'd managed to make the best of their new lives. She'd listened with little interest as they described a typical day for their family, seeming only to care that she was now alone. It didn't matter that she could go on for eternity, because the only reason she'd even wanted this existence was to be with Edward forever.

"Isabella?" Carlisle was watching her with worried eyes; they were honey…not the fire red she was aching to see. "I don't know why he isn't here, but I talked with him the night he'd changed you…he was out of his mind with worry for you, wanted nothing more than to be by your side." They stared at each other for a moment, Carlisle seeming to read the unasked question running rampant through her mind. _Then why did he leave me?_ With a sincere gaze he answered it. "Everything he does, is with the ultimate goal of your happiness. He wouldn't have left here if it wasn't for your best interest."

She wanted to weep. If he loved her so much and wanted her to be happy, then why would he leave her? The only way she could be happy was alongside her vampire, if he wasn't with her, then what the hell was all this for?

(***)

Somewhere in the twilight of his mind, Edward recognized that he was missing something. Though he could vaguely recall anything outside of the madness that was eating at his mind, his beating heart seemed to recognize a desperate need to be somewhere else entirely.

Gnashing his teeth together and squeezing at his head, he fought to find clarity. His mind and his heart were competing for his attention, both overwhelming him with memories of those he'd been drinking and his heart fighting for room for whatever emotion seemed to be making itself at home there. _I'm going mad…can't function!_

Never had he been so consumed with the need to drink. He couldn't seem to drink enough, gorging himself on victim after victim. Though the reward of blood was sweet, the punishment of their memories was enough to conflict with his new found need.

Before he could wrap his mind around that realization, a new tap was brought in and blood lust filled his vision; sinking his fangs into the prey, he let himself get lost once more.

(***)

That night Isabella lay in their bed thinking only of how empty it felt. Though he still hadn't returned, she refused to leave. His parents had invited her to come stay with them, both ensuring that Edward would find her there and that she would be safe. She knew they were looking out for her best interest, but still, she couldn't bring herself to leave.

Both Carlisle and Esme vowed to stay with her for as long as she needed them to, neither of them knowing what to tell her when she hinted at Edward possibly returning there. They'd wanted to guide her through the city, to the life she would lead now, and though they weren't 100 percent sure that Edward would return, they too held out hope.

Sleep didn't come easy for Isabella, but holding Edwards pillow and wearing his shirt helped her find comfort. When she did sleep though, her dreams were centered on him. She dreamt of the way it had felt to be in his arms, of the way he would kiss her neck or tell her he loved her. She found herself dreaming of their first time…of how it felt to be consumed by him completely.

Knowing it was a dream, she woke with sadness so great that she couldn't comprehend the thought of ever losing it. She would carry it always, for as long as he stayed away…for as long as she survived in this afterlife…or whatever it was that she lived in.

(***)

Nervous for his son, Carlisle searched the city relentlessly. The only thought he had was that Edward had gone out "hunting" and had succumbed to blood lust completely. Perhaps he had stumbled upon another of their kind?

Carlisle couldn't believe that Edward would disappear like this, not while his bride was vulnerable and alone. Edward had no idea that Carlisle and Esme were coming, had asked them specifically not to. So the idea that he had just left Isabella to wake alone and fend for herself truly made no sense.

No, something very bad was happening here and the quicker they got Isabella from this place…the safer they would all be.

_**Sorry the update is short, but ff has been down, I will post again tomorrow…a much longer chapter.**_


	8. Chapter 8

-viii-

Thought he'd never returned to her, Isabella found a small bit of will to continue on with this life. Carlisle and Esme had taken good care of her, had even managed to get her to their home in Forks Washington to live, but that arrangement went south when their "daughter" Rosalie had caught wind of it. She'd taken one look at Isabella and had seemed to hate her on sight.

After that, living in their house, no matter how big, was uncomfortable. Isabella had returned to live in Chicago, in the house that would have been her's and Edwards had he never left her. She never did get her answers, all she had now were her self doubts and theories about what might have caused this absence, but in the end, Carlisle had been the one to confirm that perhaps Edward had died. Isabella didn't know what was worse, hoping that he'd just not wanted her, or facing a reality that he simply didn't exist anymore.

But time marched on, the seasons changed, and time marched on. The world kept turning, even if she found no reason for it to. It didn't seem to matter to the earth that her heart was broken or that the idea of living now held no purpose. She was stuck in this afterlife and no matter how much she wanted him here, he never came back.

(***)

Years had passed...three to be exact, and to this day the hole in her heart was as present as the morning she'd woken and he hadn't been there. Her routine continued the same, fetch the morning paper, drink a mug of blood and sit in the garden behind their brown stone home as she read a book. The last part changed with her mood, some days she swam in the pool or painted in the lanai...it didn't matter though, she simply continued the ritual because she had nothing else to do.

This morning as she walked to the market on the overcast day, she felt an electricity. For the first time in three years she felt excitement...perhaps even a feeling that the day held some sort of promise. The air felt lighter and her breaths seemed clearer...though her heart was silent, she felt the anticipation of a possible thump begin to stir. Wanting to feel this way longer, she increased her steps, chasing this feeling was the first emotion she'd experienced outside of pain and the idea of something more made her fingers curl.

Just as she approached the news stand something akin to a kick rocked her body. _What the hell?_ She looked around, not seeing anything or anyone...but she still felt the unfamiliar weight clasping her chest. Her breaths came quicker...her chest rising and falling with unfamiliar weight. She realized that she was drawing attention to herself, though not enough to warrant a crowd, but still she received peculiar looks from passersby and the man who ran the stand. _Get yourself together! _Her mind screamed. The first rule of living among mortals was that you never do things to stand out...including near hyperventilating.

She was about to turn around the way she came, but when she looked up, she saw him. Standing mere feet from her was Edward.

(***)

Uncomfortable. That was the only emotion he could feel in this moment. It had been a long while since he'd left Italy, or even the confines of his home their with the rest of the Volturi guard, but here he was...on special assignment to find and destroy one like himself.

He wasn't alone either, in fact he'd been sent with the fiercest and most brutal of the guard. Perhaps this female was a fatal. Whoever she was, she didn't stand a chance, the guard existed for the purpose of destroying threats to their lifestyle. He'd heard rumors that there was a small faction around the world that abstained from human sacrifice for the alternate of animal blood. The stories of these fore-bearers held rumor that they derived animalistic traits in turn... somehow bringing more attention to the Vampire life and nearly exposing immortals to those the humans that walked the world.

He didn't particularly care if the stories were true or not, he existed in this life and took pleasure in his daily routine. He held no remorse for those he drank, didn't particularly care what their back story was. Humans were there for his consumption and he delighted in the taking. It was a win for him...and that was all that mattered.

Splitting from the group this morning, he'd positioned himself at the corner of the intersection where this female would visit this morning. He didn't know what she looked like, but that didn't matter, because immortals like himself stood out easily among the simple humans, even the most beautiful mortal couldn't hold a candle to an immortal...humans were beneath them.

As he waited he noted the temptations walking by. These idiots had no idea a killer of their kind was mere feet away, not that he would act on any of them...at least not point blank like this. No, he was civilized about his kills, all the guard was, blood lust had been tamed long ago...when he'd become one of them...loyal to the royal family.

He was still watching people filter by him, watching the crowds of suits coming and going from the walk way when for the first time since he could remember, anticipation washed over him. It wasn't the anticipation of drinking...it was something more. Though he couldn't place it, he knew he'd felt it somewhere before...perhaps as a newborn? He couldn't quite recall. His fangs began to ache, his chest beating erratically. Was the air sweeter here in the city? Or was it the scent of food he was catching? _Impossible. Human food is revolting!_ If not that, then what was it? It was if the air charged with electricity for him... his senses more keen. Turning in a slow circle he began to search this emotion out. He didn't like feeling this way, as if he were behind in some task and it had just caught up with him. Turning from the full circle his eyes landed on what he knew was his target.

She had chestnut colored hair and honey eyes. Her skin was porcelain and her face was that of an angel. She seemed familiar...like he knew her well. Awash in her beauty, thoughts of taking her lips assailed him. His mind flashed to what it would be like to have her beneath him, crying his name as he kissed her sweet skin. He knew it would be sweet...could sense that from simply looking at her right now that it was so. She met his eyes then and for the briefest moment he'd felt like he'd come home after a long journey. Killing was the farthest thing from his mind and all he wanted was to sink in her arms and walk away from his duty forever.

_What is this!_ He couldn't comprehend this power she had over him. _Leave my duty? For a woman? Never._ Forcing himself to get under control, he snapped the silver click in his pocket, a signal for the guard that he'd spotted the threat and had her in a prime killing position.

They wouldn't end her here, they would follow her until she was secluded. He'd give then command and she would be ripped apart then burned completely.

(***)

_He's come back for me! _She wanted to weep, to run into his arms and never let him go again. She saw that he'd recognized her, he too seemed just as pleased to have come across her as she was with him. Just as she was about to yell his name and go to him, a look of hate washed across his lovely features. He breathing was still shallow, her feet uneasy...it hit her then that her heart had began to beat...for him.

He told her once night how being blooded by your mate stirs you to life. For an immortal it means you have arousal and your heart literally begins to beat again. Life holds meaning and everything else...including blood takes a back seat. She knew she had blooded him, she'd felt and experienced all those feelings with him the night he bit her three years ago. And now as an immortal...he had blooded her.

_Why would he look at me like that?_ It made no sense, unless... _He doesn't want me. This was an accidental meeting..._

The sinking reality hurt just as much as the idea had three years ago. Reaching her hand to him, she whispered his name, her eyes pleading with him to want her back. Instead of coming to her and holding her, he simply raised his hand, holding a silver item in his fingers he looked at her with disdain and clicked it three times before turning from her and walking away without a word.


	9. Chapter 9

-ix-

Trying to gain his composure, Edward turned his back on her. He couldn't afford to fall victim to whatever special talent this immortal possessed, _and she must have one,_ why else would he have had that reaction to her? In his time with the guard, he'd seen many different talents embodied with the immortals. There was more than simply drinking from humans, he himself could read minds. Among the guard there were a series of talents they each possessed that made them invaluable to the royal family. Perhaps this woman had a gift of seduction? Heidi has that...

Convincing himself that what he had felt was no more than some conjured emotion by the female, he proceeded on with their plan, doubling back on the female to get her cornered before they struck. He positioned himself in the corner of an alley, from this vantage point he could clearly see all the members of the guard and intervene on their behalf if need be.

Deep in the shadows of the walls he spotted the female walking with slow unsure steps. He watched as she continued to look over her shoulder every few seconds, seeming to look for anyone following her. Though it was normal for the victims to do that, she didn't do it in a nervous way, she looked almost _hopeful_ that someone was following. Each time she turned forward from her backward glance, her eyes would close and she would breath deeply as if searching for control.

Edward watched her moving slowly and the sight of her made his gut tighten with yearning. He couldn't shake the feeling, which made no sense...surely she had no idea he was hiding here, so how could whatever power she wielded still have an affect on him? _She's dangerous,_ his mind whispered. A female like that was definitely a threat to the Volturi. If she could make a man weak in the knees the way she was making Edward, then he had no doubt her powers extended further out than seduction. Renewed in the resolution that she should be ended, he closed his eyes and reminded himself of the loyalty he'd sworn to his masters.

Nothing would separate him from his duty, especially not this insignificant female.

(***)

As quickly as he'd appeared, he was gone. Though she could still sense his presence, he was no longer visible. _Perhaps he just needs time to wrap his head around seeing me? _Yes, that was it. Isabella made her way back home, renewed with the thought that he would come to her there later and talk. Though she felt like she should run there, she made herself walk slowly, every few steps looking back to see if maybe he'd turned around to come after her.

He hadn't.

She turned on the street that would lead her home, just a few blocks from the brown stone. When she turned left on the empty sidewalk she felt a hand over her mouth just before her head was slammed into the brick wall. Dizziness washed over her as he ears began ringing from the force of the blow.

She hadn't had time to react before her body was thrown on the the ground and her neck was being stepped on by a boot. Her eyes couldn't focus, her hearing completely gone. For a moment her body went completely numb but then came the searing pain that started from her toes and swam up her spine. It was as if she were being stabbed by a thousand knives all at once, even her fingernails seemed to be on fire. She wanted to scream with agony, but the pain was too great that all she could do was dislocate her own shoulder with the seizures that seemed to rock her body.

Never had she felt this pain...nothing she had ever endured both human and immortal could compare. When she begged for the end to meet her, the pain ended at once, but in no way was her body relieved. She barely took a breath before the pain was back with a ferocity much greater than the last, this time however, her eyes locked on the familiar fire red she had once begged to see again. Staring down at her in this moment, was Edward. She shook with pain and as she closed her eyes to pass out, she begged him to make it stop.

(***)

Watching her body get slammed into that wall nearly felled him. His gut turned, feeling as if he needed to vomit. _This is wrong_! His mind screamed at him. Her little body was thrown to the filthy ground and her dress slipped up her thighs revealing the taught lines of her legs. He had an overwhelming urge to bare his fangs at Demitri for exposing her in such a way, but he had no idea why. Conflicting feelings warred inside his chest at the sight of her fragile body being bashed and kicked before his eyes. He felt as if he may as well have endured it himself.

Though he had these conflicting thoughts soaring through his mind, he slammed his foot to her throat, the action nearly making him choke in pain. It had been instinct that caused him to do that, but knowing he was hurting her was driving him mindless, as if this action on this creature was blasphemy! Before he could convince himself to let her up, Jane appeared with Alec. Alec cut off her senses just before Jane inflicted the searing pain through her body, a pain so viscous that it still made him cringe no matter how many times he'd witnessed it.

Edward shook with agony for her as she convulsed beneath his boot and dislocated her own shoulder. His eyes were wide as he started at the porcelain skinned angel as she shook with agony. She couldn't seem to scream, the pain seeming to make her incapable of anything other than experiencing the action.

Relief washed over Edward as he read Jane's mind, she was pulling back, taking the pain from this immortal. Edward didn't have even a second to thank god before he heard Jane snear at the girls reaction. She doubled the pain, increasing the agony this female experienced. Feeling on the verge of madness himself, he watched her eyes gain sight, and just before she closed her eyes to the pain once more, she held his gaze with a beseeching look as she begged him to make this stop.

"_Please Edward! Please stop hurting me..." _She gasped then, her breath stopping abruptly as her head fell limp to the side.

Why was he sickened at the sight of this female lying lifeless on the ground. He'd done this exact thing to hundreds of others just like her, never once feeling remorse. But as she lay unconscious beneath his foot, his throat seemed to swell with sickness and his knees threatened to buckle. She'd called him by name...and gazed at him as though betrayed. But why? He didn't _know _this female...but she seemed to know him.

The order had been to destroy her, and not a second after her body went limp did that register into his mind. He knew he could be destroyed himself for disobeying a command, but the need to find out answers from this woman seemed imperative. Looking to Demitri, Jane and Alec, he commanded them to take her to the abandoned house they had been in this day. He would have his answers, and as soon as he did, he would end her.

(***)

**Hang in there, it gets worse.**


	10. Chapter 10

-x-

Edward had barely made it into the farthest alley before he began dry heaving. There was nothing to throw up, because he didn't eat, but he had no doubt that if even a crumb of food had been sitting in his stomach, he'd have thrown it up. Hurting that female had done something to him, affected him horribly. It was as if she were special to him in some way, he couldn't shake the unending pain he'd felt as he witnessed her being hurt before his eyes, beneath _his_ foot, by _his_ command.

_How does she know my name? _Though she seemed to know him, he had no idea of who she was. It was completely possible that they knew each other, but he wouldn't remember. When he'd come through from his blood lust, his mind had been flooded with the memories of those he'd drunken. He only recalled that he was in Italy by choice, a bonded feeling so deep ran through him as he pledged his undying allegiance to the Volturi. They all felt it, he wasn't the only one. Having read the minds of those around him, he deduced that this was his calling; which just like the others, was drawn to pledge his services and loyalty.

Did he have a life before? Absolutely, but apparently the bonds in that life weren't strong enough to follow him in his immortal state. Perhaps this female had been a part of his life before, but either way it didn't matter, she was now the enemy. His sole purpose for existing in this life was to end any threats to immortals like himself from being exposed. These fore-bearers were abomination...beneath the rule of royalty. Anyone who sought to change the standing laws was a villain.

Renewed with a sense of duty, he straightened his posture and breathed deeply before setting off to the place the female was being kept. He would gain the answers of his past with her and then he would destroy her.

(***)

When Isabella came to, her head was pounding and her eyes were still blurry. The pain she'd experienced from these creatures was punishing to her young immortal body. She was only a few years old in this life, her newborn power depleted. She wasn't as resilient as other vampires, definitely not like the ones putting her through hell.

Isabella had no idea why this was happening, or even _how_ Edward could do this. It was as if he hated her. _He must…_, she thought. How else could he watch this happening before his eyes without even flinching? She'd stupidly believed that he had loved her, truly thought that he was parted from her against his will. She didn't want to fight for her freedom; all she wanted now was the end.

She dimly realized her arms were restrained as well as her legs, the vice like grips holding her body still had also positioned her in the position of an offering. _Why is he doing this to me? _Not only was this actually happening to her, it was happening at the hands of a man she loved with all her being. She'd given him her innocence, had saved herself for him and returned to him as she vowed to all those years ago. It didn't matter though, because _this_ was how he reciprocated it. Allowing her to beaten in a filthy street and held down like some concubine whore. Degrading wasn't a strong enough word to cover the emotions running through her mind right now.

Isabella could vaguely make out the conversations being had around her, the sounds seeming like a distant echo because her head had been slammed so hard into the walls and concrete earlier. She faintly heard laughter, chuckles and a deep booming laugh from the one holding her wrists. She'd just perceived a touch at her knee, the finger starting to wonder up.

_Just end me...please__!__ I don't want this to happen. _She'd never been touched by another, could tell it wasn't Edwards finger roaming upward. She was about to beg whoever was touching her to stop, but then she heard him.

"Stop!" The anger in his tone made her flinch, the sound terrifying even though she couldn't see his face. She imagined his jaw was set the same way it had been the night she'd returned to him. The night he'd gone mindless with rage at the thought of her being touched in _anyway_ by another.

Though she was grateful for the reprieve, her mind couldn't help wondering why he would allow her misery but not that final act of degradation. Either way, she was grateful, no matter what the reason. Before she could feel too appreciative, a painful blow to her temple had her ears ringing once more. Yells sounded from the people in the room, but she couldn't make out any of the words. The pain shooting through her body was making it impossible to focus on anything else.

Minutes passed, but still the pain continued on. It wasn't as bad as in the alley, but it was still punishing. She wasn't sure, but she thought maybe she was screaming...begging, pleading. She was certain that she'd asked for death at least a thousand times, had offered to end herself if it would please them, but on and on the pain continued.

Mindless with searing threads through her body, she lost consciousness once more.

(***)

Walking into her body being held down by Alec and Jane, while Demitri ran his finger toward her inner thigh sent his mind awash in rage. He hadn't expected this would be the way she'd be kept. Had he even a hint that they would try this he would have taken her here himself.

_Why am I so __affected__ by this woman? Why do I feel like I'm under a chaos spell?_

He told himself that he'd lunged at Demitri because they were better than that, and _not_ because he felt like she was his. He tried to convince himself that the guard were far more civilized than some rapist animals that took that sick pleasure, that even though she was to be destroyed, it didn't give them free leave to act like barbarians.

As he fought with Demitri, flashes of the woman's face kept firing in his mind. Each time making his anger for this man redline. He kept seeing her soft face looking up at his own, her eyes soft and trusting as she lay beneath him. The idea that this man sought to hurt her made his fury spike to a whole new level. Never had Edward felt this way, as if he himself would die if this man wasn't destroyed.

"What the hell are you doing!" Before he could form any kind of response, the feeling of being stabbed repeatedly shot through his entire body. Gasping for air, for peace, he collapsed to the ground and shrieked in pain. _Jane._

He could read her mind, currently she was trying to decide what way to get Edward under control. She didn't know what had made him snap or even why he'd launched into hits with Demitri, but she sensed the female had something to do with it. Slowly the pain began to ebb, his mind able to wrap around the fact that Jane had pulled the pain from him. Never speaking aloud, she conversed with him through thought. _What the hell was that about? Have you gone insane?_

Still catching his air, he tried to find an answer that would assuage her. "Were not filthy parasites, Jane! We don't act that way and we certainly don't abuse our power…no matter _who_ were sent to destroy!"

She didn't say anything else, but he noted her thoughts roaming back to the image of Demitri's finger easing toward the females' inner thigh. She didn't like it either, but she hadn't been brave enough to challenge him. Jane's little secret was that she secretly wanted Demitri for herself.

The image of Demitri's fingers on that females leg made fury spike through his veins once more, but this time he didn't act on it. Instead he stood and crossed to the table where she lay unconscious at the moment. He noted how simply being near her at the moment seemed to calm even the worst of his anger.

Demitri rose, watching Edward with a calculating eye as he stood guard over the woman. _What'__s so damn special about her? W__hy would he want to protect her?_ Edward wished he knew those answers too, but he wouldn't acknowledge Demitri's thoughts…didn't want any part of conversation with him anymore.

"Everyone out" _I need to get answers from her…and I don't need anyone else knowing that I'm feeling __torn. _Though he wasn't the strongest, he was in charge. Demitri may have been the muscle, and Jane may have been the fear, but Edward was the one to oversee everything. Questioning his order may have well been a request for torture themselves. Did he know why he was prized above others? No, but that didn't matter, especially not in this moment when he needed to have time alone with the female.

One by one they trailed out, as they walked through the door to leave, he further instructed them to go far enough to give him privacy with the girl. Demitri eyed him and so did Jane, but Alec merely grin toward him as if he knew what this was about. _Probably thinks I'm going to finish what Demitri had wanted to start._

When he was satisfied they were alone and free from eavesdroppers, he grabbed a chair and settled down beside her. Waiting for her to wake, he sat vigil and noted the way her pale skin stood out against her dark lashes. _She's beautiful. _All immortals were, even the ones he'd destroyed before her, but looking at the lines of her face, he feared she might very well be the _most_ beautiful._ I may not be able to miss this creature…._

He was still turning that though in his head and what the connotation for him would mean, but just then, she started to wake.


	11. Chapter 11

-xi-

Waking from her stupor would have been welcome...if she hadn't still been gazing up at the cracked ceiling of the abandoned house she'd been brought to against her will. It took a moment for Isabella to realize that her limbs were no longer restrained, but before she could sit up, his voice floated to her ringing ears.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" Her first reflex was to jump from the table and back away from him as fast as possible. Her eyes darted about the room, looking for the others that had ambushed her in the alleyway. She didn't know for certain that this wasn't some sick trick.

Not seeing or sensing any others, she kept her back against the wall so they were facing one another. She noted the way he frowned at her, as if her not wanting to be near him had been baffling. _You beat me til I was unconscious...what did you expect?_

His words hit her finally and with a sad realization, she understood that he didn't remember her anymore. She stayed where she was, appraising him and his posture. _I want to go home..._

Though she doubted he would release her, she had to at least ask..., "Please let me go home." She thought he may have stifled a wince, but he didn't answer her. Instead he continued to stare at her, as if she were a puzzle he was trying to put together. Long moments passed between them and when he stepped forward to come closer, she squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself... expecting a hit.

(***)

He had no idea who this creature was, where she came from, or where she lived. But hearing the soft lull of her voice as she asked him to let her go home had made his beating heart ache. Besides Marcus, one of the royal Volturi, he'd never heard another vampire's heart beating until now.

He was about to ask her once more how she knew him, but the sound of her accelerating heart had confounded him, the pain in her eyes more punishing. No, he didn't know her...but that didn't stop him from _wanting_ to.

As he stepped toward her to assure her that she was safe in this moment, she turned her head and cringed, her body a mass of tension as she braced herself for what he could only imagine was an expected hit. Shame flooded him.

"Who are you?" he'd thought that maybe his words would come out sounding more firm, but instead his they came out more dazed and mirroring his emotions. She didn't answer right away, instead squeaking her eyes open, no doubt shocked by the softness in his voice.

He vaguely realized that she hadn't answered him yet, was too distracted by the sight of her little fang running over her bottom lip as she weighed her answer. His gaze was drawn to the sight; he couldn't seem to drag his eyes away. Visions of taking that bottom lip into his mouth made him dizzy, like it was something he didn't want to try, but something he wanted to experience again. _I feel like I've done it before._

Edward thought he would go mad if she didn't answer him soon, her silence killing his usually all-knowing mind. Just as he was about to demand she answer, she dropped her eyes and replied.

"I don't know how you don't remember me...or even _why_, but...I'm Isabella." He could hear her heart beating wildly as she waited for him to reply, could hear in the way she said her name that she expected that to mean something to him.

It...Didn't.

Though the name was beautiful and the woman it belonged to was its equal, he was certain he'd never heard it before. Still, he looked at her face and realized that she was familiar to him. Perhaps he'd drunk from her lover? Maybe that was why her face seemed to be flooding his mind. It made sense that that was the answer...what else could it be? As an immortal, when you drank someone to death, you gained their memories. He'd gorged himself on victim after victim during the turning, so much so that for the last two years his memories hadn't been any of his own. Just recently was he able to start functioning and making coherent thoughts that weren't others.

"How do we know each other? You seem to look at me as if were familiar with one another. Did I kill your lover? Is that why you know my name?" Even as he said it, he knew it wasn't true. It would have been too easy...to ideal. No, if he was being honest with himself, he knew that there was more to this story than just a crossing of paths.

She frowned but wouldn't raise her face to look at him. Instead she continued to look down, her shoes apparently being the most fascinating thing in this room. "I was _your_, Isabella...you used to call me your little bride."

(***)

Sinking to the floor, she curled her legs to her chest and set her cheek along the tops. The action confounded him, _why__ hadn't she tried to run?_ The action seemed to be surrender, and he wasn't all that sure he felt about that.

She said that she'd been _his_, but he couldn't wrap his head around that. _If she had been mine I would have never let her go._ He eased closer toward her, unable to stop the growing feeling of wanting to comfort her. She was a stranger to him, and still he couldn't help wondering how she would feel pressed against his chest. _If I take her into me, I doubt I'd ever be able to let go..._

"You really don't remember me at all?" her eyes were mesmerizing, he _knew _her, she was familiar to him… and yet he knew he'd never seen a creature quite as breathtaking as she was. Sheer frustration began to well in him, because if what she was saying was true and he did know her, then he wanted to remember her.

With her sad eyes staring deep into his, she leaned forward on her knees as if to cup his face. When he could feel the air between them had grown warm, his eyes slid shut as if from memory and for the first time in this life, he felt anticipation…

The touch of her fingers on his face made him feel as if a blanket of calm had just been wrapped around his body. As if from reflex, he rested his face there, his eyes stayed closed as he savored this simple touch of affection. He'd never craved it before, had never felt tempted. But right now, on this dirty floor, with the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen showing him warmth and acceptance; he ached for it…for more.

"You found me when I was a little girl and fed me. You kept me safe and warm and loved. I thought you would send me away and so I ran from you. I stayed hidden for years until I grew into maturity and then nine years later we found one another again…that night you took me to your home, we kissed and touched…the next morning we made love…"

His mind conjured the pictures of events she described. He imagined what it would have been like to feel her untried body. To catch her gasp of surprise with his mouth on her own as he entered her for the first time. He'd grown restless just imagining it.

His mind screamed at him to be rational, that this was a trick of seduction on her part, a simple attempt at sparing her life. But his heart told him something different, and his body was responding to her in ways he'd never known it could. These emotions and his earlier reactions to her couldn't possibly be a coincidence. He began to accept the idea that there were bigger things in motion here than just a target wielding a seduction power.

Before she could continue on with her accounts and details of their supposed relationship, she shrieked in agony and fell to the ground with a thud.

_Jane._ If Edward had been paying attention to his surroundings, he would have realized that they were no longer alone. Jane, Alec and Demitri had returned and at the sight of him with the female, they took action.

Demitri dragged Edward from her side and removed her from his sight as Jane and Alec continued on with her punishing. The only thing Edward could perceive in that moment was that she was in danger, if he couldn't fight hard enough and get to her, they would destroy her, with or without his blessings.

As fast as he could, he countered Demitri's moves and fought with a savage need to kill. _I thought of this man as a brother?_ Hit after hit was exchanged between the two, but still there was no end in sight. In a last moment of desperation, Edward had planned to actually try and bargain, but before he could get that far, Jane and Alec's thoughts hit him as if a yell.

_Where did she go? Who was that!_ He could see who they were talking about in their minds. Three vampires had appeared out of nowhere and had traced Isabella away. A small pixie had cradled her in arms and then disappeared as quickly as she'd come. The other two, both males squared off defensively against Alec and Jane as if waiting for them to attack. Jane had been so startled by how they'd appeared that she hadn't time enough to react with her gift. Then at once, both men left in a blur of speed.

Stopping his fight with Demitri, Edward traced to the room, his gaze searching for her, looking all over in hopes of seeing her safely tucked away, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Demitri caught up with him then, his anger palpable and his nerves shot. He wasn't worried about the fact that Edward and he had been fighting, his concern was with the fact that their target had just escaped.

"See what your little antics have caused? Are you happy now?" Every line of Demitri's body seemed to be bulging as she started at Edward with contempt. In his mind he continued to yell at him, each word making Edward question his sanity. _She's a temptress! A Femme Fatale! You fell into her trap and now she's escaped! We should have destroyed her the second we had her in our keeping! I will not go down for this…I'll give them your head before I pay for your mistakes!_

Without her face to focus on, his mind returned to his mission. _Those overwhelming emotions are gone…_She _had_ been wielding a seduction over him! He may have been played for a fool, but no longer. Doubling back to his crew, his body shook with rage. "Find her…then destroy her."

(***)

Three vampires she'd never encountered before had taken her from that hell and were now frantically driving her out of the city. All Isabella had managed to gather was that unlike the ones she'd just been rescued from, these immortals weren't bent on destroying her.

"Where are you taking me?" Was her voice really that weak? She sounded like a child might after having a nightmare. No one paid her any attention though, the three pointing and yelling at one another to go different routes for different reasons.

They were in a fast car that much was evident. The darkened windows were passing buildings and roads in blurs as a blonde vampire with scars drove through the Interstate. The little brunette pixie that she had recognized as the one that carried her out was in the backseat with her and what looked like Demitri's physical twin sat in the passenger side up front.

"I'm absolutely sure they won't catch up with us if we take the rural route and then charter a plane from the private airport. Every other decision I see us making will lead them right to Bella."

_How does she know my name?_ As if finally catching her breath, the pixie turned to Bella and smiled warmly. "I know it's not much of a mannered way to meet, but I'm Alice, nice to meet you." She extended her hand and smiled brightly, as if they'd met in the aisle of a whole foods market and _not _in a near death experience.

"Wh-Who are you guys?" Deciding she would trust the pixie, because she had just saved her, she shook her hand and curled into her seat.

The passenger turned to her with a big happy smile to answer her. "I'm Rosalie's husband…so that makes us brother and sister in-law." He turned back to mess with the radio as if this whole scenario were just simply a regular outing.

This was almost too much for Isabella to process, but she couldn't seem to find the energy to ask any more questions. Keeping to herself she stared out the window as they made their way around the city to whatever private clearing they were to leave from. No one bothered her, nor did anyone try to fill her in on any details.

When they arrived at the private airport thirty five minutes later, Alice finally broke the quiet game. "Okay, we need to hurry! Let's go!" Pulling Isabella by the arms and dragging her to the helicopter that was starting up, she kept looking over her shoulder as if expecting someone to appear.

Bella couldn't help but ask the question, "Who are you looking for?" Tossing Bella up into a seat she sighed as if tired and finally answered.

"Your boyfriend is going to want you back…luck for us we'll be in the air before he and the rest of his goons park their car." As the helicopter lifted off with the four of them in the back, a black Mercedes screeched to a stop as the immortals she recognized as her captures from earlier jumped from the doors and sprinted for the rails.

Isabella locked eyes with Edward and as the others continued their attempt at catching the copter, he merely stopped trying and watched her until all she could make out from him was the tiny dot he'd become in the distance.

(***)

As he watched that helicopter lift off, the thoughts of all except Isabella's rang out with the same sad comment, _"He'll hate himself forever for hurting his mate like this…"_ those comments were enough to halt his tracks as he watched her sad eyes watching him as she continued to fly away from him.


	12. Chapter 12

-xii-

Standing at that clearing, watching her fly further and further away had done two things to Edward. The first was it had made him angry. Whether he was angry because she had gotten away or angry because she was no longer with him was still undecided. Second, hearing those thoughts from the others that had made him nearly sick with confusion.

He had no idea if they thought those things because they _knew_ he would hear them, or if what they had been thinking was actually true. He knew very little about mates, not a single member of the guard had one, and only a handful of the vampires he'd ever destroyed were bound to anyone in that way. What he did know, was that if you threatened the life of a vampires bride or vice versus, the other would do _anything _to spare them.

He'd always been glad he didn't have one, couldn't imagine what having a weakness like that would mean for a man like him. _Yet just look at how I reacted when I tho__ught they were going to kill her..._He shook that thought from his mind when the others joined him. They all eyed him warily, Demitri no doubt looking for a sign that he felt something for the woman.

Doing his best to look indifferent, he led them back to the car as they headed back to the city while they decided on what needed to be done. The entire drive, thoughts ran rampant through everyone's heads as they tried to understand how everything had gotten so far off track. This wasn't the kind of behavior anyone expected from Edward, it wasn't the kind of behavior they expected from anyone on the guard for that fact.

He'd broken so many rules in so short a time that even _he_ couldn't find a single scenario in which he too wouldn't be destroyed. _I've put myse__lf in jeopardy...for a woman...a woman I don't even know._ But every time he would think that, the image of her beautiful face would flash into his mind and the feel of her fingers against his cheek seemed to be branded on his skin. _I can still feel the way__ her little hand cradled me._

This was how he spent the drive into the city. He would try to gain anger and would instead recall the way she felt, smelled or looked at a particular moment and it would leave him grateful that she had gotten away.

When the four arrived at the private home tucked away in the hills, they each went off on their own to collect their thoughts about the events of the day. He could hear everyone's unified thought about letting Aro know what had happened and exactly whose fault it was that it had gotten botched. _Let them._

Edward was fully prepared to take whatever came his way over this incident. He had been the one to call the shots, he had been the one to halt their progress...all in all, he _was _guilty of screwing this all up. Heading to the room he would claim as his own tonight, he sank down on the bed and prepared for what he knew would be a useless attempt at sleep. At least that's what he thought.

As soon as his head had hit the pillow and the covers had cooled to his body, sleep claimed him...and with it, so did his dreams...

_As they lay in bed together, with her hands lingering touches along his chest and her lips following the same trail, he knew he was in love. Simply waking with her in his arms made him ecstatic, but waking and finding they were both naked made him over the moon. He couldn't seem to stop touching and kissing her. She didn't seem to mind in the least when his hands lingered on her bottom or that his shaft prodded at her belly._

_Each time he took her lips he noted how sweet she was. Literally. Her taste was that of sugar or even honey. The feel of her soft curves against his muscles gave him a masculine thrill that he'd never experienced before._

_He'd never imagined he could feel this overwhelming sense of completeness, had assumed that that part of life had been forfeited to him because of his change. But here he was, utterly content with all he'd been given, even though he among all men probably deserved it the least._

_His eyes were growing greedy to see her deep inviting eyes, so he kissed her pretty little head, gently chucked her chin and when she raised her beautiful face, he was once again lost in the absolute trust he saw so clearly in her eyes. She held no reservation for the fact that as a soft, vulnerable human he could hurt so easily. His little bride believed in him completely._

_He hadn't told her that he loved her yet, but his heart ached for her… for his Isabella. _

That dream had woken Edward with a start; his body was a mass of tension and emptiness as he rolled over in bed and found that it was empty, except for him. His arms were cold and his heart was aching as he touched the spot where she should have been. She'd fit so perfectly there against him, her body warm and inviting. His shaft was unbearably hard for her, as if his body could still feel her soft hands and lips moving over his skin. _I can still taste her sweet lips._

Moving with precision he traced around the room and dressed. He hadn't decided if he'd actually gone mad or if this was in fact a repercussion of her wielding some sort of seduction over him. All he knew was that that dream had shaken him, and if there was even a small bit of truth to any of its content, then he wanted to know once and for all what the hell had happened to make it disappear.

He had no idea where he was going or what this would mean for his place with the guard. He may have even paused to think about it, but in the time it took him to stand still, the way her eyes had looked up to him so trustingly in that dream popped into his head…effectively ending the debate.

Walking out the front door, Edward set off into the dark to find her.

(***)

1830 miles away, in a small town by the name of Forks, Washington, Isabella and her three acquaintances walked through the front door of the Cullen home. When they'd headed up the drive, a feeling of safety had finally washed over her. She knew it didn't mean she couldn't be hurt, but for her, Carlisle and Esme were the epitome of what parents represented._ Safety and warmth._

Though the Cullen residence had never truly been her home, it had been Edwards. It reminded her that there had been a time when he was a different man…a different person. She didn't know if he felt any remorse over what had happened to her, but she thought that maybe they had made a connection on that floor earlier that day.

Now more than ever she was confused about what had happened to him three years ago. When he'd changed her, they had just made love. He hadn't been mean or hurtful with her, and looking back with a keen memory; she could recall all the tiny details of care he'd bestowed upon her. She was convinced that whatever or whoever had changed him did a pristine job of wiping all his memories. _He may never truly remember me._

When he made it through the foyer, Esme traced to her and pulled her into a hug immediately. Just like a mother who'd been reunited with a child that had been lost, she showered her with kisses and checked her face over to see if she was hurt.

Any signs of struggle had well been healed and she looked precisely as she had when they'd met her years before. But the hurt in her eyes was still there, standing out as an accusation just as much as any bruise would have.

Carlisle was next to hug her. He seemed to breathe a little easier when she hugged him back, and when he patted her back like a child, she began to weep against him. Only Carlisle could understand her loss, at least that's the way she saw it.

He'd been the one to create Edward…and Edward had been the one to create her. Their bond was the same, different in its context, but the same. Isabella didn't mean to suggest that no one else in the room loved him more or less, but it was just_ different._

When Isabella was calm enough, they led her into the dining room, _though it had never been used for eating,_ and started at the beginning.

"Sweetie, are you thirsty?" Esme stood from her chair before Isabella even had a chance to answer and had filled a mug of blood and traced it back to her. Though she needed to drink, she wasn't necessarily thirsty. Knowing she needed it, she accepted the mug and stared off into the distance, remembering all the reasons it was necessary to do so right now.

Those hit's she'd sustained had depleted her, her body could heal, but it took drinking for her body to do so. Taking her first sip, she recalled the way her head had been slammed into a wall and then held down to the dirty floor by Edward's foot.

Sadness so acute to the point of pain flooded her, more so than what it had felt like earlier. Everyone seemed to gasp, pulling her from her thoughts. She gazed around to see the looks of pain that everyone seemed to be wearing; it was as if they too could _feel_ what she had just experienced.

Alice spoke softly, her tone somber as she explained. "You haven't really met Jasper have you?" When Isabella shook her head she continued. "He has a gift too, like Edward. Except he can feel emotions…and make others feel them too."

That had gotten Isabella's attention. She turned to see the blond one whom she now knew was Jasper and frowned. She didn't want him making people feel that pain, it was bad enough that she had to. He must have felt her conflict, because he was quick to explain himself.

"Sometimes it's overwhelming…the emotions. I don't mean to make people feel them, but sometimes it's just too much for me to keep in…I generally prefer it when it's happiness." He gave her a smile that didn't quite meet his eyes, and just as quickly as the pain came, a feeling of calm washed over her to take its place.

"Thank you" she told him with absolute sincerity. She couldn't have needed that any more than she did at that moment, because she knew she would have to relive every detail that had just transpired in the last 24 hours.

As Isabella recounted everything that had happened, right down to the helicopter flying off, everyone at the table was silent. No one breathed, moved or even blinked. The only sound present was the simultaneous beating of seven hearts. _Seven hearts?_

Isabella looked around the room and noted how there were only six at the table. Though it didn't surprise her that everyone here had been blooded, it did surprise her that one of them wasn't present. Her eyes quickly darted to Emmett; his eyes were down, his shoulders sunk in miserably. _"I'm Rosalie's husband…" _that's what he'd said in the car.

_Does she really hate me that much? _Before she could ask that question aloud, Rosalie herself walked around the corner. Though she was as beautiful as ever, there was something off about the way she carried herself in this moment. Any time before when she would walk in a room, she had this superior air about her, as if she knew instinctively that she was better than everyone around her.

That wasn't the case right now thought. Instead she wore a long cashmere sweater and jeans, her feet were bare and her hair was tied in a sloppy knot at the top of her head. No one except Emmett greeted her, no one even acknowledged her.

Isabella noted how everyone seemed to look even more down trodden, but the oddest thing of all was when Rosalie came to sit beside Bella. Emmett came with her, holding her hand as if he was her life line and support. Isabella could understand that, Edward had been hers.

"Bella…I-I need to tell you something."

It was in the way she said it that made her stomach fall. Bella sat up straighter, her heart beating erratically as she braced herself for whatever news was coming her way. From the look on Rosalie's face…she gathered this was not going to be good.

Staring at her fidgety fingers, Rosalie confessed what everyone here apparently already knew. "Three years ago I was talking with a friend." She paused to catch her breath then continued in the same small voice. "You had just come back to be with Edward in Chicago and things for me were a little…weird."

The mood in the room was heavy, but still no one made any move to leave or lighten it. "I was…_jealous_ of you, of your presence in our family." A sinking feeling began to settle in the pit of Isabella's stomach and she wasn't sure she wanted to hear anymore, but still Rosalie continued.

"I didn't know it at the time, but…when I had mentioned you were Edward's mate and that you had blooded him, that person went back to Italy and told the Volturi."

Isabella was lost. She'd never heard of the Volturi, didn't even know enough to care about who they were, but apparently everyone here knew and hearing the confession aloud had caused a few of them at the table to gnash their teeth.

"It's my fault that Edward left…that he doesn't remember you." Too many question arose in her mind at once, she couldn't comprehend how Rosalie not liking her or complaining about her had caused Edward to forget her or go away for that matter.

"What are you talking about?" Rosalie's face was miserable; her eyes were dark from lack of blood and looked to be holding a lot of grief.

"They'd wanted him for a long time…for their guard…" Bella still didn't understand, none of it made any sense. Carlisle interceded then and went on to explain how the Volturi were a Royal family among the vampires. She learned of the three brothers and the power they wielded among the immortals. She heard of Carlisle's time spent with them early on, then of their interest in Edward when his gift had been discovered.

They'd wanted him for years…twenty to be exact. But he would never willfully join them, not while Carlisle and Esme still lived. They had no power over him, nothing to persuade him…until Bella came along.

Rosalie running her mouth the way she had, finally gave them the information they needed to persuade him otherwise. She saw it all so clearly now, could understand the choice he'd had to make. She still didn't remember her transition, nor the time he'd been there to the time he'd left, but she knew in her heart of hearts that he'd been forced to choose.

He'd loved her so much that the idea of her being hurt would have driven him to do _anything. _Including leave her to spare her. Wordlessly, Isabella rose from the table and quietly walked up stairs. She didn't bother tracing, her time was pretty much endless. There was no love waiting for her in their bed, no touches or kisses waiting for her on the other side of the door. She was alone…because someone had made it that way.

Walking into Edwards room was like a kick in the gut. She'd stayed here before, when Carlisle and Esme had first brought her to their home. But Rosalie had been so hateful even then that she only stayed for a few days and returned to the brown stone in Chicago.

She sank onto the bed that lay against the windowed wall and tried to take in all the details that Edward had put into the space. He had cd's and albums in pristine condition lining the shelves. Little knickknacks adorned his dresser, and she tried to think of stories for each one. He'd never been here _with _her…but he'd been here.

Down stairs everyone sat at the table still, each offering an idea on how to try and get Edward home. No one commented on the fact that when he got here, it wouldn't mean he was safe. They would come for him…and forever he would have a target the size of Italy on his back.

Rolling on her side, she wrapped the blankets tight around her body and lay in the dark until sleep could claim her, until she could dream of him…like she did every night.


	13. Chapter 13

-xiv-

As Edward moved through the city that evening, he felt lighter than he could ever recall. It was as if each step away from his group had made his mind clearer. He wasn't sure what to make of that, but then again, he didn't know what to make of _anything._

Though he had no idea where he was going or how to find her, he was determined to see this mission through. For whatever reason, he felt tied to Isabella and knew instinctively that she held the answers to all the questions he had about himself. The idea of finding her and taking her aside both thrilled and frightened him. He was worried about how she would react, he didn't know if she would even be willing to help him find out about his past.

The memory of her flinching and bracing for his hit flashed into his head and with it, the shame he felt for causing such a reaction from her followed right on its heels. He'd done nothing _but_ hurt her since they'd first met, first helping as they beat her in that dirty street, and then watching as she'd been tortured with excruciating pain by Jane, all the while feeling sick with regret for his actions. Just the remembered look on her face as she begged _him_ by name to stop hurting her made his legs run faster, his arms pump for more speed. He didn't know where she was, but he knew that the faster he moved the faster he would find her.

(***)

Isabella woke up to the sound of movement in her room. She sat straight up and saw Alice gathering different items and clothing from Edward's closet. Bella didn't get a chance to voice her question before Alice was already answering in her sing song voice. "Were going to get him, I know where he is...or at least where he's _going to_ _be_ in five hours." That news had her falling out of bed and running to get dressed.

She stopped halfway to the dresser when she realized that she didn't have any clothing here. Again Alice chimed in. "I laid some things out for you...I figured you were going to need some..." Sure enough, there was a pair of jeans and a nice shirt sitting on the end of her bed, along with different pairs of shoes and accessories. She could only raise her brows in approval, they were all things she liked and approved of.

"I saw your closet so I was able to pick things you would wear. You'll be back at your house soon enough, and you can grab more things then." Once more Isabella turned to ask the burning question of _how_ Alice seemed to know so much, but once more, Alice beat her to it. "I can see the future, like a seer or something. But just for people I know and for decisions that affect them."

Alice and Jasper hadn't been a part of the Cullen family three years ago...or at least she hadn't known them or heard about them. But then again, she herself wasn't all that much a part of conversations. When she had left the Cullen house to go back to her Chicago home, she'd kept to herself and only called if they left a message for her. She hadn't been trying to avoid them; she just hadn't been sure what her place with them was at the time.

"How did you know to come for me?" Alice turned then, her face falling back to the sad expression she'd worn the day before.

"Jasper and I came to the Cullen's not too long ago ourselves." She went to Bella and sat next to her on the bed as she explained. "When our lives became part of each other's, so did yours and Edwards. I saw the decision made to destroy you, and then shortly after, I saw the decision made for _him_ to be the one to do it." Alice frowned with distaste at the words but continued on, "I had seen a picture of him…of Edward. Esme keeps one on the piano. When I saw his face, I put two and two together and realized then what had happened. Rosalie had been sitting there with Emmett when I told them where I saw Edward and what was about to happen…and the rest you can say is history."

Taking in the last twenty four hours was still overwhelming, but adding to it the randomness of this situation was just too much for her to shoulder. Though confusion was the foremost emotion in her mind, betrayal was a close second.

Was Isabella surprised that Rosalie had hated her? No, but she didn't think she'd warranted enough hate for her to go bad mouth her. She wouldn't have even been angry about that, if it weren't for the fact that her little hissy fit had caused this entire situation to come to fruition. Her already strong discontent for Rosalie boiled over more than would probably ever be forgiven, but she didn't really have time to focus on that. Apparently Edward was coming home, or they were going to him, but either way that was her priority.

Though she was still coming to grips with what he'd put her through yesterday, her biggest worry was that he might _never_ remember her. When she saw him yesterday, the red of his eyes was bright, and he looked far more gone than she'd ever remembered. _What if he won't want me anyway?_

"He _will_ remember you" Alice chided, "It's just going to take time… and your blood." With that Alice went back to gathering items for their mission, leaving Bella to ponder that last statement.

(***)

When he'd made it back into the city, he found himself walking the same path he'd seen the female, Isabella, on earlier. He doubted she would be there still, considering she'd been flown off in a helicopter at that clearing, but he had the feeling that there may be answers for him in her home. He could still faintly scent her from earlier in the day, so he walked slowly down the path she'd walked, finding he was rather fond of her sweet scent.

Interestingly enough, the closer he got to her home, the less he needed her scent to guide him. He noted how familiar everything around him had begun looking and that he could anticipate a certain path ahead without having to read someone's mind for it. The entire situation began to fuel his belief that he and this Isabella were connected. _Perhaps what she had said was true…maybe she was mine…_

That feeling began to overwhelm him when he turned what he _knew_ was the last corner and stood in front of what had to be a classic brownstone home. Even if he hadn't scented her honey smell wafting down the stones pathway, or swimming through the garden out front, he would have known that this was her home.

As he opened the wrought iron gate and walked up the path, a memory of doing the same thing at another time in his life came to him as if triggered by the action. Walking up the steps, he knew that a key was hidden in a small lock box looking like a rock in the flower pot. Grabbing it, he shook the hollow piece and was greeted by the rattle of the key inside. _This can't be right, I shouldn't know these things._ He couldn't comprehend that he had known even this much, let alone was beginning to feel at ease against all odds.

Comfort shouldn't be on his mind right now, fear should be. The clock was ticking on his existence, had been from the moment he hesitated to kill that female. He had no doubt that at this very second his comrades had discovered he was no longer with them. Edward knew his hours were limited at this moment and the second they reached Italy, Aro would no doubt dispatch Felix to track him _and_ the female.

Suddenly fear for her overwhelmed everything. It was as if a light had been flicked on and concern for her wellbeing began to burn through him. _ I cou__ld give a damn what happens to me, but I need to make sure she's safe._ Now more than ever it was important to find her, and though he didn't want to sully her beautiful home, he knew that without remembering the combination to the little box in his hand, he would have to break in. _I'll do little damage, perhaps there's a window open or a door left unlocked…_

"She'll just let you in, Edward. You don't have to _break_ anything." He turned in a flash to see the small dark haired pixie that had helped in the rescuing of Isabella. For a moment he almost attacked her, but the instinct died down instantly, and in its place a feeling of calm washed over him. When he was lethargic and his mind was clear of anger, Isabella came from around the corner, her small hands nervous and twining in each other's grip as her small fang rubbed along her lip.

_Precious. She's absolutely precious._ All thought stopped as he watched her walk with careful steps toward him, he may have even held his breath as she timidly walked up the steps. Though he could tell she was scared, she bravely held out her hand with a small smile for him, in hopes of getting the little box with her key.

Knowing instinctively that he could deny her nothing, be quickly placed the small rock in her palm and stepped to the side so she could make her way to the door. When he looked back, no one else was there, the pixie no longer stood at the drive and the thoughts of those around him were that of mothers awake in the late night to feed their babies or college students deciding which house to head back to. Appeased that he wouldn't be ambushed, he waited behind her as she opened the box then the door and invited him in.

(***)

Isabella could feel the tension rolling off her body in waves. Though Jasper had flooded both she and Edward with feelings of calm, her small body still feared him, knowing exactly the hostility he was capable of.

Alice had assured her that it wouldn't happen again, that for whatever reason; she was safe from any other attacks this night. All the same though, having one's head slammed into a wall repeatedly has its effects on a person, even a vampire like herself.

He said nothing as she ushered him through the door way, but she could tell he was taking in every part of her home…of _his _home. Outside of a few flowers and maybe some paintings, this home remained exactly as he'd left it. She wasn't all that sure that he would remember anything, but Alice had instructed her to talk to him, to bring up different things they'd done together in this home and that maybe with the right emotions…he would remember her.

Isabella's last resort? Well that was to get him to take from her…to take blood from her neck and in turn her memories. It would take sleep and hopefully only a little time, but he would gain her memories and he would see himself that she was indeed his.

(***)

If he'd once seen her as beautiful and timid, then Isabella now looked shaken and heartbroken. Of course she'd have to still be hurt and weary from what happened earlier, but he noted the way she kept her shoulders back and the slight lift in her chin. As if she was determined to show a confident air about herself in front of him. He respected that about her.

When they were fully in her home, the overwhelming scent of rich honey and crème assailed his senses. If he were to be ended, then he wanted it to be now, awash in the exquisite scent of this female and all her warmth her home seemed to emanate.

He followed her into the meticulously decorated living room that had an oversized couch off to the side then observed the small details that made up each corner of the room. When he turned back to her, prepared to begin his line of questioning, he saw the way she was looking at him.

She looked like she was about to break down, as if her emotions were becoming too much to keep in. Though he was feeling oddly content in his own mind, his heart seemed to be competing for the control. As if his mind and heart weren't in agreement as to how he should be feeling in this moment.

"Are you okay?" it was the only thing he could think to ask her and he knew that it was the most appropriate. She'd been hurt a lot today…more than anyone he'd ever encountered at his time with the guard, and that was mostly because vampires were destroyed rather quickly. He'd never been a part of a dispatch where one had been attacked so brutally and then lived to tell about it. Death was sort of a gift bestowed upon their kind rather quickly.

Her delicate hand rose to her forehead. She seemed drained , her essence depleted, her eyes were weary and not at all warm and inviting as he'd remembered them that afternoon. "I-I'm okay." An overwhelming urge to keep her close flooded his entire being. He felt as if some foreign emotion had just wedged itself inside his chest and was now swinging blows and demanding him to make room for her.

Walking very slowly to her side, he sat next to her and waited until she could meet his eyes once more. When her little face warily looked up at him, he could see clearly all the pain she was carrying, carrying because of him. He could convince himself that he leaned into her lips because of his pity, but the truth of it was, that he couldn't stop himself.

He experienced inexplicable urges the second their lips touched, he had an overwhelming need to tuck her into him and keep her close. He was on the verge of losing himself completely in that kiss but before he could, she gently pulled back from him, her eyes down and her brows drawn as if in pain. Without thinking, he cupped her face gently, his thumb delicately stroking her cheek. She'd said that she was his…and judging by his reactions to her right now, he was finally starting to believe it.

"Doesn't anything look familiar to you?" He could hear the desperate edge to her tone, could feel how badly she wanted him to say yes. He wanted nothing more than to tell her whatever would make her worry go away but he hadn't had any amazing recollection. Outside of being able to _feel_ connected to her right now and the fact that things seemed deja vuic, he still wasn't sure what was going on. He almost kept all that to himself, but then a sob ripped from her chest, the sound making his heart hurt for her.

"I knew that there was a key in that rock…and that it was in the flowerpot on the steps." Her face turned from pain to promise in an instant. She sat up straight, the movement bringing their faces closer once more. Though the beauty of her eyes lighting up with hope satisfied him more than anything in recent memory, his eyes were still drawn to the way her pretty little pinkened lips had parted so delicately.

He found himself telling her more in hopes of earning a reaction that meant he could kiss her again. "I-I dreamed of you…of us." As he spoke he kept inching closer, his body growing anxious with the prospect of their lips touching. "We…we were in bed, and I was holding you…kissing you." With their lips hovering at the others he watched as she closed her eyes gently and her lips delicately curved with a tiny smile._ I've made her happy...she _should_ be happy._

He pressed his lips to hers once more, and a feeling akin to ecstasy washing over him as she pressed back. Thoughts of pulling her into his lap and stripping her clothes assaulted him. Nearly drunk with passion, he deepened the kiss and held her tightly. _This is right…she is right. Need her so much._ Even with all the confusion and frustration of the last few hours, another slow brush of her lips had him wanting her still. Even as he had no idea who or what she was to him.

Once more she pulled away from him, but it wasn't in a way that made him think she regretted their kiss. She continued to tease at his lips as her hands sifted through his hair gently. When she'd caught her breath she still didn't move away, instead simply smiling shyly and gazing into his eyes as she began to tell him about his life…a life he wanted desperately to remember.

"This is _your_ house," she stood and made her way to the fireplace but still continued. "You first brought me here when I was 12 years old. That was my room," she pointed down the hall indicating a door to the left, "I only stayed here one night, the next morning I ran from you…because I thought you were going to send me away to other vampires."

He crossed to her, eyes drawn in confusion. "Why did you think I would do that?" He knew already that if any of what she was saying was true, and she was indeed his, sending her away would be the last thing he would do.

"I was just a little girl" she whispered. The way she said it made him soften even further toward her. The idea of having such a precious gift for his own nearly overwhelmed him. Of course she'd have been scared. She had been a little girl that had encountered a vampire.

"Did I…Did I hurt you? Is that why you were frightened?" He had no idea where the question came from or why he chose to ask that one in particular, but he could sense the happiness she felt that he was playing along…if this was indeed a game.

"No. You never hurt me." He felt lighter at those words and waved her on to continue.

"I heard you talking on the phone…I now know that you were speaking with Carlisle." Once more the story she was telling made complete sense. But he didn't know _why…_He couldn't place a face with the name of who this Carlisle was, but for some reason, it was sounding familiar to him.

Her face turned to one of worry and he noted the way she tensed. He looked around to see of someone had appeared, thinking maybe Demitri or Jane had found them, but the room was empty.

"Are..are you okay?" He realized then that she was watching _him._ She wore a look of terror because _he_ was scaring her. He dimly realized then that it was because he was breathing harder, his fangs were sharpening too. He didn't _feel_ out of control…but his body was beginning to betray his thoughts.

He backed away from her, wanting to put some space between them. Wordlessly he moved to the other side of the room, searching for a place to gain some composure before they continued on. There was a door to the right and instinctively he walked inside. When he did, the bed in the center of the large room caught his attention and a vision of them being in that bed together, _naked _flashed through his mind. _It's the room from my dream, and that's the bed we were in._

He walked around it, examining the large mattress from different angles and remembering the dream vividly. _She'd been warm against me right here._ He touched the spot where he remembered her laying and his fingers began to tingle. His entire body was humming when he realized her scent was far stronger in here than any other place in the house. _This is her room._

He felt her presence in the room with him before she spoke to let him know. He realized with each second in this house that she was important to him…connected to him in some way, and with all that he'd been feeling and hearing, he was finally ready to know once and for all why that was. If she really was _his_ like she claimed…

"This is _our_ room." Her words were soft and he could hear her walking slowly behind him. When she placed her palm against his back, he shuddered with want. As if that hadn't been enough, she placed her cheek there against him as well, the action both soothing and setting his body on fire…for her.

"When you'd found me again I was 21. We slept here in this bed together for the first time that night…" After a soft kiss at his shoulder blade she continued, "But you were afraid to claim me, because you didn't want to hurt me…"

He turned to her then, unable to hear more without seeing her beautiful face. "We learned a lot about each other those first few nights, but eventually you couldn't stop anymore and…and you made love to me."

With absolutely no fear, she eased closer to him, her dainty arms wrapping around his neck and her eyes alight with passion. She looked both excited and nervous; as if she feared he would set her away or tell her she was a liar. But he didn't want her moving anywhere that didn't have him beside her. As she stroked his cheek she whispered, "You changed me that night as well…"

(***)

Did she have any idea what she was doing? No. But that wasn't going to stop her from doing anything to try and make him remember her. She was so close now, could feel it. When he told her that he'd remembered the key and then admitted to having that dream of them together, it was enough to keep her talking and hoping that something would click soon.

Though she was still hurting from what had happened to her earlier, her love for Edward overshadowed even that. She knew that when he remembered her completely, his actions would put him to his knees in misery. Isabella now knew the strength between blooded mates, could only now understand the absolute love one had for the other. Because right now Edward was vulnerable, she could have Jasper and Emmett in this room so quick and Edward at her mercy in less time than it would take for her scream.

When Carlisle had found her in the house that day she'd woken as a newborn, he'd told her that only one thing could compete with blood lust…sex. And that one thing could compete with the overwhelming need to kill…she now knew that it was the need to protect. Not even her need for revenge on his actions could force her to put him in a position that would jeopardize him.

"If you loved me and I loved you…" he seemed to be lost in his own words as he gazed at her face in complete rapt attention, but she didn't need to hear him ask the rest of the question to know the answer.

"We don't know for certain what happened that day, but I know the guard wanted you for twenty years before that night, and when they found out that I had blooded you, we think they used me against you to get you to go with them."

He seemed to pause all thought and motion as he took in her words. She could only hope that he would listen, because she realized how this would sound to anyone else in his position. The only thing she had on her side was the fact that he seemed to _know_ they belonged together.

He turned away from her quickly, tracing to the windowed corner of the room. There he looked out into the night, no doubt digesting all that he'd heard. She decided in that moment that she was going to ask him to take her blood. It was the only way to get him to see that she was telling the truth. It was impossible to manipulate ones blood to taking or shifting memories. A vampire's blood told the story of their life candidly…nothing mortal or immortal could alter it.

They were running out of time, and if they were going to fly back to Forks tomorrow as Alice had told her they needed to, then he needed to take her blood now, in hopes that he would dream her memories tonight.

Taking a deep breath she called out to him and asked. "Will you take from me…please?" That got him to turn around. He seemed shocked by her offer, then excited about the prospect. He made no move to go to her, so she went to him. When she was in front of him once more, she gently grabbed his hand and placed it at her beating heart. "I know you don't believe me…so this is the only way to get you to understand that what I'm telling you is the truth."

He watched with rapt attention as she tilted her neck to him, exposing her neck like an offering. His eyes went heavy with lust but she wasn't sure if it was sexual or blood related. All she knew was that he was looking at her neck…clearly wanting his fangs there.

Tracing to her body, he snatched her into his arms and sank his fangs at the tender spot where her shoulder and neck met. As he eyes drifted shut in pleasure, she felt him moan as he pulled her tighter against him and gently began rocking his hips against her.


	14. Chapter 14

-xiv-

Rich warmth and pleasure exploded within him. Taking her neck didn't just feel _right_, it felt like the most natural thing in the world. Though her blood was sweet and finer than anything he could recall ever tasting, the feel of her against him and the way she moaned with obvious pleasure overshadowed everything else.

Drawing her in closer, he reveled in the way she felt there in his arms. He wanted to savor this experience she was giving him, wanted to make this last as long as he could possibly justify. Though he could have lapped greedily at her neck for longer, he found himself drinking slowly. Instead focusing on the sweet taste of her skin and the feeling of a soul deep connection she was stirring to life within him. _She has to be mine; I would not feel this way otherwise._

He felt her little hands drop from his neck and cuddle between them. As if she wanted to tuck herself away with him and forget about the world. Still lapping gently at her neck, he wrapped his arms around her body like a band, wanting to hold her there against him forever. When he felt her sigh at the action, he felt victorious that he'd pleased her and was anxious to do it again.

Knowing he'd taken more than enough, he forced himself to release her neck, but in no way was he ready to release her body. She didn't seem to mind that he kissed the spot he'd just pierced, and noted the way she shivered against him, how her breathing began to quicken. _She feels it too, wants me to hold her and kiss her like this._ The idea of being the one to hold and care for her for the rest of eternity felt completely _right_ to Edward. Though he'd never wanted a mate before or _any_ _other_ liability for that matter, the idea of having such a woman in his keeping pleased him more than anything ever had.

He nuzzled closer to her and found that he could still taste her on his lips and the sweetness of her skin pulled him back to what he'd dreamed of just hours before. With her in his arms like this and her essence coursing through his body, the inevitable truth that she was _indeed_ his became even more evident.

Did he remember her yet? No. But he was convinced now more than ever that what she'd been telling him from the start had been the truth. Still kissing softly at her neck, the image of her being kicked and thrown around the alley earlier that morning came flooding through his mind. He gasped from the remembrance as much as from the act and he pulled her tighter against him as he buried his face into her neck. He waited for the anger to strike, was sure that at any second the savage need to kill for what he and his comrades had done to her would surface, but the only emotion he could feel was gratefulness, gratefulness that she was safe and _here…_gratefulness that she was in his arms and in his protection. Never again would he let her be hurt or harmed, he would make sure she was safe, would defend her with his own life. He didn't doubt that the anger would come, knew that at some point tonight the unabridged need to kill would be overwhelming him, but until that moment arose, he wasn't going to let himself feel any negative connotations.

"I'm so sorry..." he whispered at her ear, shaking still because he knew those words just weren't enough. No he didn't remember her, but how could he have hurt his mate in _any_ state of mind, especially when his reactions to seeing and doing what he'd done had affected him so strongly. _My mind _screamed_ that it was wrong; I was sick to my stomach and could barely make it to the alley before I was heaving. I should have protected her! When she needed me most, I failed her!_

He felt himself being traced by Isabella, and when they landed, it was at the small padded bench near the window. She was sitting beside him, her beautiful face holding a hopeful edge to her features. "You remember me?" He could see how badly she wanted him to, and he was angry with himself because he couldn't tell her that he did. Instead, he told her what he believed in his beating heart...

"I know that you _are mine_... I don't deny it. The way I feel for you is...I-I can't explain it, but I know that it is the truth. I don't know if my memories will come back, but I know that taking your blood will give me yours..." Her eyes were still hopeful and he knew it was because he told her he believed her. "Perhaps seeing us in your memories and understanding them anew will trigger my own, but either way Isabella...I believe you. You're my fated bride."

(***)

If he thought seeing her smile shyly was a beautiful thing, then what he was witnessing now was a total eclipsing of every joy he'd ever encountered. It was as if he'd just watched the sun rise for the first time, or witnessed a rose blooming in a garden on an early spring day. For Edward, she represented all the beautiful and lovely things this world had to offer …even to one as him, and though seeing her at ease with him had pleased him to no end, he couldn't shake the fact that he'd done the things he'd done to her. Edward had always reasoned that those he'd hunted and destroyed had deserved their end; he'd made himself understand that justice should be given to those who sought to change their laws, that an act of defiance by _anyone_ was reason enough for him to be dispatched. But looking into her beautiful honey colored eyes, he found himself questioning everything he'd done in the last three years.

It was enough, that when she leaned in and kissed his lips lightly to whisper that she was tired and wanted to rest, he'd gotten up from their little corner and prepared to journey away from her for the evening. As he turned to go down the hall to where he knew was an extra bedroom, her fingers gently wrapped around his wrist and she softly tucked herself into him completely. "Please stay…here in our room…with-with me."

His entire body shot tight with tension, he wanted nothing more than to stay in this room with her. He knew that laying in that bed with her warm body curled securely against his own would be like nothing he'd ever experienced before. Once more the dream of them kissing and touching each other so comfortably washed over him. Seeing the dream anew now with the eyes of a man who'd just felt what kissing her was like, reminded him of the ease in which the whole thing happened. . In that dream he didn't seem nervous in the least. He remembered that in the dream he had grabbed at her bottom and palmed at it possessively, and she didn't seem to mind that his shaft had been stiff as a pole for her as well. He wanted to feel that way again, but more than anything, he wanted to feel that way _with her._

Even now, with Isabella holding him tightly, his imagination ran wild with how she would want to lay with him. Would she be shy if she were naked in bed with him? Would she want him to be the one to remove that devilish silk? He didn't remember those things or even know how to go about comforting her. He'd managed to do pretty well up until this point, but he wasn't sure what a night in bed together would mean.

Was this an invitation for more? Immediately his body shot tight with tension at that idea of the many different ways this evening could play out. His body was thrumming from just the idea that they would be side by side with little or even no clothing between them.

He turned to her, lacing their fingers together then bending down to kiss her once more. _Never get __enough of these sweet lips. _"Are you sure you want me in here…in there…" he tilted his head to their bed. "I've done so much to you, Bella…" He couldn't even count the ways he'd hurt her, was too ashamed of all he'd done, had never been more ashamed, but then she kissed his lips and stroked at his cheek, doing what she could to ease _him._

"I don't want to think about any of that right now" she murmured." I just want to rest with you. I've missed you so much, missed simply being in your arms and feeling your heart beat against me as I fall asleep."

She'd painted quite the picture for his imagination. He was already fantasizing about what he would do to her if she truly wanted him in that bed alongside her. Though he'd dreamed about having her soft and warm there in his arms, it still didn't seem real to him... like he hadn't been the one to experience it.

He was still in deep thought about that when she turned from his arms and made her way to the double doors that he could only assume was a closet. Inside she went straight to the left wall and calmly opened the second drawer.

Edward watched with bated breath as she lifted different silks and lace to her display shelf. He noted the soft red silk that she'd last placed at the table and silently prayed that she would pick it. All of a sudden his reasons for being ashamed to get in that bed with her no longer applied. He made the promise right then and there that he would do anything from now on to protect her. He'd kill any being, break any oath, even forfeit his _own_ life if need be, but god help him, if that beautiful, soft and precious angel wanted him in that bed with her…he wasn't going to turn her down.

(***)

She'd been nervous as hell to open that drawer, but she'd reminded herself that this was _Edward._ It didn't matter that he couldn't remember her, what mattered is that he'd believed her and that he was trying so hard to get his memories back. She'd reasoned that if telling him that little bit of information on the floor of the abandoned hotel room had managed to get him to dream of them together and find their home, then seeing and feeling her the way he'd told her a thousand times made him mad with need, would have to score at least a dream too!

While she attempted a look of nonchalance at the lingerie she was appraising, she could feel his eyes on her, could tell he was anxious to see her in one of them. She could almost _feel_ his excitement at the little red silk and lace number she'd just pulled out.

Though they'd only been together for about a week before he turned her, she knew how much he loved to see her dressed in these little pieces. After all, he'd been the one to buy them for her and fill her closet drawers with them. She already knew the excitement he would display when she would shut the closet doors for privacy then step out in the color of his choice. He would always stare first, as if taking his eye full of all the ways he could remove it and then when he was sure of a plan of action, he would trace to her and kiss her entire body before doing it.

Already knowing that he would say the red one, she grabbed it along with a light pink and black negligee then turned to ask him which he wanted to see her in. "Is there a particular color you'd be fond of me in?"

He seemed to be dazed by the question, and that delighted her to no end. When after a few seconds he _still_ hadn't answered, she met his eyes and slowly made her way to stand in front of him. She'd never been particularly _glad_ for her vampiric attention to detail, but in this moment, she was able to both gaze into his eyes _and_ notice the way he swallowed nervously at her approach. She had to fight hard to keep the smile from spreading over her face at that.

When she reached him, she bent down and kissed his lips lightly with a peck then held the pieces up for him to see. "Don't you want me to wear one to bed?" He seemed shocked that she'd said it again, but more than that, he was imagining what seeing her in the pink would be like. He wondered if the pink nighty would match the pale pink of her nipples. He shivered at the thought and coughed into his fist, "I think red would look beautiful against your skin." He punctuated his words with one hand running the backs of his fingers at her collar bone and the other grabbing the negligee from her grip.

It was her turn to flush, but instead of being embarrassed about it, she was flattered. Memory or not, this was her man. She smiled softly to her vampire and leaned in to kiss his cheek before nodding her acquiescence. She gently took the silk from his hands then went to stand at her vanity with her back to him.

There she began removing the pins from her hair that had held each meticulous curl in place. When that was done she set about readying for bed, just as she'd done many times before with her vampire watching. Though this was indeed a new experience for him, it wasn't for her. The thrill of knowing he was with her in this room while she did these things was all she had ever wanted. The thrill of feeling his eyes on her while she did this made her skin tingle and her nerves flutter. She tried to remind herself that this was going to be new to him, that the vision of her simply stripping and changing in front of him might not be comfortable, at least not at first anyway, but that wasn't going to stop her.

If he was going to come back from this dark abyss his mind had been captive in, then he was going to need her help, and the only way she knew how to help him, was to appeal to everything he loved the most about their small amount of time together before.

(***)

_My little bride is far from modest, _he thought to himself. He was watching her with rapt attention as she moved about the room and readied herself to retire to their bed. He was perfectly happy watching her remove the pins from the luscious hair, but in an instant he realized that he'd just referred to her as _his… _as _his little bride._

Something about watching her in this moment had caused his mind to think that and though he was done fighting the idea that she wasn't, he hadn't thought that he'd completely absorbed the fact that she was. But apparently his mind and his heart were beginning to get on board with the idea as a whole, because as he watched her modestly turn and remove her shirt and bra, he felt his chest bow with pride at the knowledge that he had such a fine woman in his keeping.

He stared with bated breath once more as she gently tugged at her jeans and revealed the thin line that made a _v_ down the curves of her hips and bottom. He nearly went to his knees at the sight and he thought he saw the hint of a smile at her cheeks as he hissed _mercy_ just low enough for himself to hear.

When she looked over her shoulder to smile fully at him, he raked his gaze over her body, then shook his head in that way men did, as if he was a goner. He noticed the small rush of color that flooded her cheeks and he smiled right back at her, because knowing she found his approval flattering only endeared her to him more. When she laced her arms through the silk, he found that he was _anxious_ to remember everything about this beautiful creature.

He didn't want to be in the dark with her anymore, he didn't want her to feel like she needed to do these things to help him remember. If anything, he was angry with himself for even making this necessary. _How could I have _forgotten_ her? How?_ But it didn't matter how many times he asked himself that question, because what was done was done. He couldn't go back in time to change things; he could merely start to look forward. It was something he wasn't used to doing, because life in the guard was monotonous. But now, with his little bride here before him, and a life with her on the line, the idea of _tomorrow_ suddenly held a whole new promise, and he wasn't going to let it go…not for _anyone._

(***)

Turning slowly to face her vampire, she found herself feeling as nervous as the first night she'd been with him. But there was one difference right now and that was that she'd been with him in exactly this way long before.

As she approached the bed where he sat, his shoulders became stiff with tension, each step seeming to accelerate it. She didn't want him to feel uncomfortable, they had been through so much in their short amount of time together and he'd seen her in her absolute worst that the idea of holding back from each other just wasn't going to do. When she was right in front of him, Isabella smiled _his_ smile before whispering softly to him. "It's just me, just your Bella." He stared at her with eyes like fire, drinking her in with each movement she made. "Let's go to bed, love…"

Without a word, he lunged forward lifting her into his arms then tracing them to the bed in an instant. The fire in his eyes alarmed her, but she shook it off, _he's mine…the good and the bad, _she reminded herself. Confident, she lay back and opened her arms for him.

His brows drew together in an anguished expression, as he followed her down. "God help me, I think I already love you…" With that, he took her mouth as gently as he could muster and when he felt her soft hands cupping at his face, he knew he was home.

* * *

**I'll have another chapter up this weekend, I hope you enjoyed this one.**


	15. Chapter 15

-xv-

After he'd taken her lips and they'd petted at each other's body, the two had broken apart in an attempt at getting some questions answered. She'd asked him about his time in the guard and he'd asked her about her time in this new life. Both had listened with rapt attention to the other as they described their experiences.

They stayed cuddled into one another well into the night, with his hands roaming over her body and her arms cuddled tight into his chest. Each took turns telling one another little things that they liked or hated and it was sometime around midnight when Edward had confessed his frustration for her silent mind and she giggled, kissed his chest then confessed that it was her favorite aspect about herself when it came to him.

Between their spurts of laughter and the teenage make-out sessions, Isabella had fallen asleep with her body tangled with Edwards and his arms wrapped protectively around her body. For Edward it had taken longer. There were so many things to wrap his head around right now, like how his heart seemed to stutter when she sighed and squeezed his chest, or the way he'd laughed with her…he'd never done that before, at least he didn't remember it. Moreover he was afraid of sleeping and dreaming her dreams. Though he knew in his heart that Isabella was telling the truth, another part of him feared that she wasn't and he didn't know how he would react if that ended up being the case. There was too much apprehension filling his mind to close his eyes right now, he'd almost gotten out of bed and went for a hunt, but then he remembered that Isabella had given him her neck…_her dreams._ With that, he held her closer and closed his eyes, deciding that the quicker he fell into reverie, the faster the sweet lull of her heartbeat would put him to sleep.

A hazy dream arose of a little girl sitting on the floor of a dirty room while her eyes spilled tears. Though he was seeing this as third person, he could feel all the emotions that the little girl felt. _Isabella? Was this her as a child? _Even with the excitement of getting her memories there was an underlying edge to the way he was feeling right now. _This is her past; this is her life before me._

_Someone had knocked hard on the door to the room where little Isabella sat in. He felt a jolt of fear and then the spike of embarrassment the little one had felt as she turned her head to the sound. A heavy ache began to churn in Edward's stomach as he watched her rise to her feet and give a nervous, pleading look at her surroundings one last time. He could feel the desperation she felt as she waited for something miraculous to happen or appear out of nowhere. But when the door shook with the pounding once more, she closed her eyes briefly, breathed deep and turned the knob to face the unknown person._

_Though the words the man at the door was saying were muffled in this vision, Edward knew it was money he had come to collect. When Isabella pleaded with the man to let her stay, he could feel that she was miserable, heartsick far beyond her years. When the man at the door demanded she leave immediately, the feeling of fear and confusion washed over her…and inevitably, himself as well._

_The scene changed and suddenly she was walking with tired legs to another side of the city. Though he didn't know how he knew, he was aware that she was now homeless. He could feel her fear, but then her hunger overwhelmed even the worst of her worries. She was tired and her feet hurt, he could feel her aging right before his eyes and he was angry, because in this memory just as the rest that were sure to come, he was helpless to assist her._

_Sheer frustration welled in Edward as watched her pass at least five or six places where this little one could have gotten a bite to eat, but never once did she even turn as if toward one. In an instant the feeling of complete abandonment washed over him, followed by the desperate ache she was feeling for even a dollar. As her stomach rumbled from the smell of the food wafting through the air, she walked faster and tried hard to look only ahead. He knew it was because seeing the food so near was much worse than simply smelling it._

_Once more the scene changed, this time placing the little one in a dark alley. He could feel her nerves as she walked along the beaten path; he felt her fear as she continued to move forward but wanting to turn around and run from this place she knew was dangerous. Even though Edward knew this was a dream, he still wanted to scream at her to do so, wanted to tuck her little body close and trace her from this vile place. She was too good, too pure to be in such an area. _

_As quick as blinking, the little one was pulled into a corner and he could feel the spike of fear blanket her, but before she could gasp to scream, a feeling of warmth, hope and serenity flooded her from head to toe. When the little one was turned, Edward saw through her eyes that she was staring straight into his eyes._

Edward woke from the dream in a rush, agitated, feeling like he was behind in the most important of tasks. He'd been there in her dreams, had pulled her into a dark corner as a little girl and she'd felt completely safe with him. Never would he forget the way her eyes looked into his own, with absolute trust and acceptance. Again the image of her frightened and betrayed face popped into his mind from the previous morning. This time he was sick with guilt and shame, no longer was he unable to pinpoint why…he knew perfectly well why this was. She'd been devastated as a little girl, utterly heartsick and alone. _My beautiful Isabella, hurt, ignored, as if she were invisible to the world and when she needed me most, I betrayed and hurt her. _His stomach was churning and his heart felt as if it were going to stop beating.

Unable to do anything more than hold her right now, he went to his back, pulling her sleeping form against his side and she curled into his arms with a sigh. Though the action should have pleased him, it only made him angrier with himself. _How could she feel safe with me? Why would she let me hold her right now?_ Though his answers weren't forthcoming, the selfish part of him was happy to keep her close. When she lightly squeezed his chest in sleep, he felt as if his heart were too big and his chest was not large enough to hold her closer _still_, he pulled her in tighter, allowing her soft curves to mold perfectly against his own.

Seeing his precious gift out there in the world alone had nearly felled him. She had only told him that he found her as a little girl, but never had he stopped to think about the circumstances surrounding it. He'd been so infatuated with her soft silks and her gentle nature that he'd completely blown right over everything else. _I should have asked…I should have shown more concern for it._ Yes he was infatuated with her silks and body, but there was more to it than that, _she _was more to _him_ than that.

But now with this fresh in his mind, he wanted to know _why_ she had been alone. Why did she have no family or friends that day as a child? Who had been the one to leave her sitting in that disgusting room all by herself? How did she feed herself with no money and no job? Though he might have thought that dreaming her dreams of how they met would be on the forefront of his mind, they weren't. And Instead of celebrating the fact that she'd been honest with him, he was more concerned with finding a way to express how sorry he was for what she'd been through. Not only had she been alone and frightened when she was just a wee girl, but she'd been beaten to the ground and knocked unconscious more than once…by _his _order. He wanted to weep.

Feeling as if he would die if he didn't, he cupped her face and kissed her with tenderness. Even in sleep she responded to him. Though still waking, she kissed him back with light pecks that matched his own and he watched in awe as she blinked her honey eyes open and met his gaze. The love she held there for him was unmistakable. Perhaps it was seeing her dreams, or maybe he was just completely ignorant to what was already there before, but right now, with her in his arms and her essence coursing through his body, the love she so clearly held for him was as evident as the sun.

He took her lips deeper this time, more primal. She was his…he knew it, _felt_ it. In the time span of a dream and a kiss, every duty and responsibility was shifted down a rung to make room for this dark haired beauty at the top. Never again would he be parted from this creature. No man, vampire or God would ever get him to willingly leave her side. _Not while there's a breath left in my body._

With his hands roaming and his lips following, he settled himself between her thighs to take her lips once more. As he kissed at her neck, cheeks and lips, instinctive drives pulled him to take her completely. He was lost in the taste of her skin as he gently grabbed her legs and positioned them over his thighs. He needed her closer though, wanted so badly to be buried completely within her. He was harder than he'd ever been…more aroused than he could recall in this new life.

He never knew how aching his shaft could be or that the feel of a woman's giving flesh would call to him so badly. But here he was, frenzied for his female and the tantalizing scent of her arousal. She smelled so good that he had to pull back from her neck and breathe deep into the air. He could already taste her on his tongue, and not her blood, the sweet tinge of honey and sugar of her essence. When he leaned down to kiss her again, she was smiling up at him with love there for the taking.

It was enough to pause the fiery lust coursing through him in this moment, and instead of ripping at her silk, he breathed deeply again, but this time for control. When his thoughts were focused completely on his precious woman, he cupped her cheek gently and kissed her softly.

It took much effort on his part not to lose focus again, but he reminded himself over and over again that after a day like she'd just had and a childhood of misery, she deserved to feel loved. It didn't matter that he hadn't seen her recent memories, what had mattered was that she was his. He wanted to give her not only a night of passion, but a feeling of warmth and protection. He didn't want her to think that he was doing this out of his own need…he wanted for her to see that this was important to him because it was _her_ who made him feel this.

"You dreamed of us didn't you?" her words were soft and warm as she teased at his lips and rubbed his back. Edward shuddered with want when she kissed at his earlobe and nuzzled his neck. He held her face steady now, not with severity, but with seriousness.

"I dreamed of you as a little girl…of your hunger and your pain. I found you in the alley…" he paused long enough to kiss her then pulled back to finish. "I only saw that it was me…that you trusted me completely, even though I had red eyes."

He saw the color flush her cheeks at the memory he'd seen, and though he hadn't meant to shame her, he knew that him knowing that made her embarrassed…made her remember. Perhaps she'd never shared to specifics with him before, or maybe she was flushed because she'd hoped he'd seen another memory, but whatever it was that caused her eyes to flash with pain, he wanted to take away that trouble and ease her pretty heart.

Never taking his gaze from her, he trailed his hand between them until he could perceive the heat rolling off of her in waves. The anticipation of touching her giving flesh excited him to a fever pitch. _To finally know this! To feel this way... with _her. He'd spent these last three years in the guard without a woman. He'd never wanted to have anything that would take his focus…until Bella. With his little bride he couldn't wait to take her fully, ached for the days ahead of them. _I'll never give her up. Never._

As he took his time roaming her soft skin, he noted how incredibly at ease he felt with her, as if he'd done this hundreds of times. _A man learning his woman's body in their bed, _the way it should always be.

(***)

Isabella had been counting on his dreams to take hold. She had no idea what he would dream of or if it would be enough, but she had known that either way, he would see her life anew. The only thing that worried her was that she never truly described all she had been through to Edward. Even when he'd found her again as a woman, she did her best to water down the circumstances and never draw too clear a picture for him.

When she'd been little her most embarrassing moment had been that she smelled when he'd found her. She'd confessed that she was alone, that her mother had left her and she was without food or money, but she'd never described where she'd come from, because even under the best of circumstances, she'd _always_ been hungry.

That was all out the door now, because looking into his fiery red eyes, she could see the pain he was feeling for her. She'd never wanted his pity, and perhaps that's why she'd never truly described her life to him so clearly, but right now she almost wished she had. His look held more than pity…and that was because he'd _lived_ her memories too. She couldn't down play the entire thing, because he _felt_ exactly what she had when he saw that part of her life.

She'd worked hard to move past it all, and she had no doubt that she would have been successful sharing a new life with Edward. But when he was gone that morning she woke to this world, all the pain and insecurities had come flooding back to her. _How much longer until he dreams of _that?

Isabella was still working out a response to what he'd just seen, but before she could even think properly about it, he had her clasped tightly to his chest and his lips were working over her throat. "Love you so much" his tongue snaked out and he laved sweetly at her earlobe. "Never want to part from you…" he kissed at her collarbone, trailing his lips higher. "…_Ever."_

With kisses like this, she was finding it extremely difficult to continue her thoughts on anything but. So when his hands roamed under the thin sheath of her negligee, she let all worries drift from her mind and focused solely on the amazing feelings she was having with him for the first time in three years. "I've missed you…" she murmured, those words were lacking for the way she felt about her vampire, but they were all she had right now.

The last time they'd made love, they'd been separated by their love for one another, she'd been unable to tell him when she'd woken to this life what it had meant for her to share that with him, that she didn't feel alone anymore or afraid. It was the only other thing she'd ever regretted in her young life, but she knew it wouldn't happen again.

Though they were far enough away from their home, Alice, Jasper and Emmett were close by and able to defend and protect both Edward and Bella in their house. Alice had said that her blood would make him remember, and that time would have to be given as well…but with his kisses growing frantic and her hands roaming her possessively, Isabella knew that he was well on his way to making it home completely. Which was good, because she had no plans of ever leaving his side again.

(***)

Edward couldn't believe this was happening, what would have once been a feverish dream for him in Rome was in the flesh and happening right now. The most beautiful female he'd ever encountered was laid out beneath him in soft silks, staring up at him with trusting eyes. She'd given him her neck and was aroused for him to a fever pitch.

Though he felt guilt for all he'd done to her, he couldn't bring himself to stop what he was doing. Her skin was so soft and her touches like silk. He wanted her forever…for eternity. Once more the monumental feeling of what was about to happen washed over him and he felt awed by the magnificent creature she was.

Fate had been far too kind to him, he thought. But perhaps she was his due…he'd been through hell while adjusting at the guard and he justified her as his bride, by telling himself he deserved this peace she was bringing him.

Slowly, he dragged his hands from her thighs to between her legs and groaned at the wet material that met his fingers. Without thought, he rubbed slowly at the moisture then snaked his fingers behind her silk. "These are wet…"he whispered at her lips. His shaft jerked for her when she merely nodded and bit her lip while fighting to keep her eyes open.

"Then you should take them off of…" he'd already torn them free and ripped his own last barrier of clothing from his hips. He saw the shock on her face but it wasn't from fear…it was anticipation. When he returned his hand to her giving flesh she squeezed at his shoulders and gasped for air. "I need you, Edward…I've needed you so much."

Readying himself to enter her, he positioned himself at her core and dropped to her chest to take her nipple. She was so damn responsive to him, everything he did to her made her moan louder and roll her hips faster. He wanted to be gloved by her body, to be lost in oblivion that lay within her. When he moved to take her, just when he cold perceive her heat, the vision of her laying beneath his boot with tears rolling down her face assailed him. _How she cried for me to save her. To stop what they were doing to her. _He pulled back from her in an instant, feeling on the verge of madness and hate at what he'd been a part of. He wanted to punish any who'd dared to touch her, needed their deaths in a savage way. Isabella had tried to ease him back over her, but he pulled back and grabbed at his head. The memories of her punishment in the alley were proving to be too much. Now that he had these feeling for her, it made them far more punishing than before.

"What…what did I do wrong?" Her voice was so small, nervous. He looked over to her and saw the tears threatening to spill over. He was up like a bolt of lightning as soon as he saw that and he pulled her to him and cuddled her like a fragile doll.

"It's me, Isabella, not you. " The memories of her hit him again, but this time he saw how her dress had hiked up and her legs and thighs had been exposed. A savage growl ripped from his chest and his hands flexed with the need to pull Demitri's head from his body.

Though she was nervous right now, she believed he wouldn't hurt her. Which was quite the concession for on as fragile as herself. She despised pain, went out of her way to make sure it never found her either. _Give a warning cry early before the pain comes, _that had always been her motto. Knowing that she was safe with him, she turned in his arms to straddle his hips and hold his face. When she was able to get him to meet her gaze again, she kissed his nose and smiled softly. "_I_ remember _you._" She caressed his cheek with the back of her hand and smiled wider when he instinctively closed his eyes in pleasure. "You would hold me, just as you were doing…" she kissed his jaw line, "Would tell me how precious you thought I was, how pretty…"she sat up and positioned his shaft at her core once more, "You like to rub my back with one hand and cup my nape with the other… until you're completely buried inside me…" With that she sank down slowly, the head of his shaft slowly entering her.

Though he wanted to yell with joy, he growled lowly, the rumbling of his chest making her nipples go tighter. He ran his hands along her back from the dip to her nape and held her there with one palm. She was sinking lower now, each bit she would delve he would shake and tense along with her. "I cannot stand to see you hurt. I'll never let you be hurt again" it was something he needed to say, he wanted her to know that this was more…that this was everything. She wasn't merely about to have sex with him, she was giving him the one thing he had ached to have since he'd come to be with the guard, connection.

He had to grit his teeth to keep from coming, the feel of her too perfect. "My beautiful little bride" she gasped at his words and the feel of him inside of her. She'd lain with him before, but right now she was experiencing something more. Before when they'd made love, it was a frenzied connection, a need to show possession and claim. But this joining was far different, for one he and she were both taking their time with each other. She relearned his body and reminded him of what he liked from her. Edward took his time as well, he couldn't seem to stop running his fingers over her breasts, the softness of which her skin held there made him excited…made him hungry for her.

Unable to deny them this any longer, he kissed her deeply, held her more possessively. She was his; he'd somehow managed to be given such an amazing woman, fate had been far too kind, and though he knew he didn't deserve her, he would gladly take her…he would treasure her.

As they came together that night, he embraced a future he'd never imagined. Having a woman all your own was a great responsibility; a great gift. Edward had never wanted anything that he could never stand to lose, but fate had seen to it already, and against his ignorant wishes, Isabella had been bestowed to him. She was his to care for, provide for…_to protect_. Never again would he fail her…never.

(***)

They had joined together more than once this night, each time ending with him taking her neck…or in one raw instant, her breast. As she slept soundly in his arms with her limbs entangled with his own, he grew anxious to dream, wondering what he might see this time…what he might feel.

Having her memories as his own was already beginning to calm his mind. Though her childhood was lonely and she'd been neglected and forgotten, he felt at ease knowing that when she'd needed him, he'd found her. Holding her closer and kissing her neck at the spot he'd just drawn from, he drifted into a fitful sleep full of dreams.

In one, he saw her in a locker room retrieving towels and toiletries from a locker at the corner. She looked older now, more mature, but still very young. She couldn't have been more than fourteen in this dream.

The scene changed again and though she was still in the locker room, he saw her curling up on a gym mat with a small blanket she spread out to lay on. He could feel that she was cold, but still she remained in the corner, her little body shivering on the floor. His stomach began churning at the vision, because he remembered her telling him that she had left him as a little girl and lived on her own until she returned nine years later. _Is this where she lived? In a school gymnasium?_ Even in the dream he grew restless and sick at the idea of his fated bride not having a home and food that he knew he could have easily provided her.

Again the vision went blurry and when it came into focus, he saw Isabella older now, a young woman. She had to have been about eighteen in this vision and she was working in a book store and going over the shipments that had just arrived. He felt his heart hammer for her in this scene, perhaps his vampire instincts recognized her as his mate even now. He watched with pride as his little bride set about the room with a bright smile and cheerful attitude. He wondered briefly if she was still living in that gymnasium, but before he could delve any further into that thought, he watched as she was approached by a young woman around her age.

She'd been helping the girl find books for her first year in college but the two had spent more time giggling and chatting over music and books for entertainment rather than education. When they'd gone on for a while longer, the girl who he now knew was named Bridgette invited Isabella to grab lunch or possibly some coffee. He felt a wave of unfettered joy sweep over Isabella and then the thoughts that came with it, _she likes me…she wants to be my friend?_ Her inner thoughts came to fruition then, and though he was happy she had made a friend, he was saddened by the fact that she viewed this one as her first. _So long had she been alone…my poor Isabella._

The dream changed once more and this time it was one he didn't ever want to see. It was from Isabella's vision…her blurry vision. She stared up at a cracked ceiling with browned water spots and mold at the edges. Her thoughts were in turmoil as she felt her arm and legs were restrained like vices. _Please no, please don't let this happen to me. Just let me die._

He could hear what she heard, the sounds of laugher and chuckles coming from the people around her and the way her stomach churned as if needing to throw up.A hand began trailing up her ankle, past her knee then to the high of her thigh. All the while her tears were streaming and her body in agony. _I've never been touched by anyone other than my Edward. I don't want this …please god don't let him allow this to be done to me._

Warring impulses roared inside him, he wanted to yell with wrath and annihilate anyone who dared touch her. His little bride was innocent! She was _his_ and his alone, he would slaughter whoever this was that took freedoms like this with her. As a sob ripped from her chest, he heard his own voice, his own roar. In an instant relief hit her like a wave and then fear for her life being ended at the hands of the one she loved most in this world.

He watched from her eyes as she wrestled and fought with Demitri in the room. Each punch he watched himself land made him feel a little better, but it wasn't enough. He wanted to punish that man with an agonizing death now, wanted to hear _him_ beg not to be touched any longer. Even in sleep he began calculating all the things he would do to him when he caught up to him once more. But in the time he watched and the time he planned, A little dark haired pixie appeared before Isabella and swooped her into her arms then disappeared.

He woke then from the dreams with a rage so deep that his head felt like it were going to explode. He felt more than he heard the growls ripping from his chest and in a brief bought of lucidity, he searched turned in a hurry to find his little bride.

But she was no longer in the bed with him, no longer beside him. He was about to roar with fury at the idea that someone had separated them again, but then he spotted her in the corner with tears streaming down her face and her little body quaking with fear.

"I won't hurt you, love. Don't be scared…" he rose from the bed to go to her, but when he reached her he realized his word were useless. She shook in his arms, still afraid. "What is wrong, Bella…what did I do?" He gently lifted her face then gasped when he saw the crack marring her precious cheek.

He clutched her to him tighter, "Oh god, Bella, I didn't mean…I must have been reacting from the dream!" Though she still shook, he held her like a vice and buried his face in her hair. "It was an accident, Bella…I never wanted to hurt you!"

(***)

With a mug of blood in her hand and her body wrapped tightly in her vampire's arms, she tried to calm down and make sense of all that had transpired. She didn't blame him for what happened, but she was still shaken over the encounter.

She wondered what memory of hers he'd dreamed to make him so angry and violent. Perhaps it was of her being beaten repeatedly? Or maybe it was when had been when the big one had knocked her unconscious. Either way, it didn't matter which dream had caused it, her worry now was trying to make sure it never happened again.

After he'd woken and seen what he'd done to her, he traced her to the couch, started a fire, and poured her a mug to help her heal. He was on a constant loop of apologies too, each time running his hand gently over the cheek as she began healing with every sip. He was sitting behind her, keeping her back to his chest and rocking her as if she were a child. But it was comforting, and he was sorry, and so she allowed it and let herself be calmed by him.

He dropped his head to her shoulder more than once, each time explaining how ashamed he was, and how he would rather die than ever bring her pain. Though he still didn't remember her completely, his actions toward her made her believe that he was at least gaining his old self back.

When her mug was empty and her cheek was healed, he returned her to their bed, tucked her in and kissed her head like he had when she was a little girl. She thought he would lay with her, but instead he traced to the chair in the corner, dropped his head into his hands and apologized again.

"Bella I'm so sorry" he breathed deeply then met her gaze. "I won't sleep in bed with you, not until I'm certain this won't happen again…" She'd been about to protest, but there was a knock at the door. He inclined his head as if to hear the thoughts. After a brief moment, he went to her side. "Your friends are here…were supposed to be leaving soon."

She sat up and held his face in her hands, "They're your family…well _our_ family. We're going to Washington to stay with your parents, until we can figure out how to stay safe from the Volturi."

Dropping his lips to hers, he nodded his agreement. "I'll follow you anywhere, love. "Another brief kiss to her lips, "I'd follow you into the sun."


End file.
